PTA

The Emperor took a deep breath before opening the door. Nova had recently started a parent-teacher association. Master Kirraen was hoping to foster parental involvement. The Emperor agreed with the idea.
Several other parents had arrived before the Emperor. He looked around as he took a seat, trying to see what kinds of parents he was dealing with. The PTA was a good sounding board to display the thoughts that people had about the current education system. Another father entered and sat next to the Emperor.
"Hello," the other man said. The Emperor had arrived in his normal disguise and wasn't surprised at the greeting.
"Hello," the Emperor replied.
"What year are yours in?"
"Third," the Emperor answered easily. The Primarchs could have skipped years,but the Emperor had decided to keep them with their age peers. They had gotten used to the children they were growing up with.
"So is mine," the father said. "I'm Andross by the way."
"Charles," the Emperor introduced himself. It was his favorite name to use when he needed one.
"Do you know anything about the Palace children in third year?" Andross asked.
"They're mine," the Emperor said. "Master Kirraen was most insistent that I join because of that fact."
"How do you manage that many children?" Andross asked, surprised.
"It's not easy," the Emperor admitted with a chuckle. "But there are others that help me."
"That's good," Andross said. "I can't imagine trying to keep track of eighteen children."
"Boys," the Emperor clarified with another chuckle.
"That's worse," Andross said with a laugh.
Master Kirraen entered and the quiet chatter stopped. Andross shifted in his seat so he faced more forward.  The room was set up in a circle with everyone facing each other. The person addressing the group could stand in the center to be seen by everyone.
"Thank you for coming to this," Master Kirraen said. "I'm hoping to do these once a month, but I can understand if people need to skip on occasion."
There was a quick exchange of glances among the teachers and parents. Master Tabriz snuck a quick peek in the Emperor's direction. Eventually everyone settled down again and Master Jeccar stepped into the center of the room.
"There is something that I want to bring up," he started. "There's a new trend among the younger students. They are playing a game where they pick a word, typically an inappropriate one, and see who can say it the loudest without being caught."
The Emperor winced. It was actually an old game. He could imagine the Primarchs, especially the louder ones like Leman and Angron, being quite boisterous. He resolved to ask his sons about it.
"What inappropriate words?" a mother asked from the other side of the circle.
"Most commonly the word for male genitalia," Master Jeccar answered. "I've been speaking with the students, but it continues to happen."
"Which children?" the mother asked with a look of surprise on her face.
"Most of them," Master Jeccar said. The mother's expression turned from surprise to offense. As if the implication that her child was saying such things was an affront to her as a parent. Andross clearly was trying not to laugh at the situation.
"Timotas would never participate in something like that," the mother said.
The Emperor took a closer look at the mother. The Primarchs had told him about  Timotas before. He often acted out in class, and was frequently rude to the teachers. The Emperor wouldn't be surprised if Timotas was one of the instigators of this game.
"I have caught Timotas participating on several occasions," Master Jeccar said, confirming the Emperor's suspicions. This sent Timotas's mother into complete denial.
"You must be mistaken," she insisted.
"I'm not," Master Jeccar assured her. He was trying to be polite, but there was a note of assertiveness in his voice.
"This isn't limited to Master Jeccar's class," Master Tabriz said. "They do it in mine as well." Several of the other teachers nodded their agreement.
"How did they learn such a filthy word?" Timotas's mother asked.
"We have been talking about the human body in Health class," Master Hylyn said. "This includes the correct terms for body parts."
"It is likely they will grow out of it soon," assured a second mother. "Children get bored easily."
"You are likely right, mam," Master Jeccar said. "I bring it up mostly so you are all aware and can help us teach them the appropriate time and place to say such things."
"I will," the second mother assured him.
"The other major item we have for this evening is funding for the music program," Mamzel Eralin said, taking the center from Master Jeccar.
"I'm hoping to do another pageant this term," she continued. "However, I need money to make sets and props for the one I want to do."
"How do you propose to raise the money?" Timotas's mother asked.
"I was thinking a bake sale," Mamzel Eralin answered. "I've been informed that they were once quite commonly used to raise money for various purposes."
The Emperor perked up at that. It was also common that bake sales were done with homemade cookies. He hadn't baked cookies in millennia and knew it would be a fun activity to share with his sons. The preliminary details of the bake sale were determined and the PTA meeting was ended.

************************

The Emperor waited for a scheduled day off from Nova to do his baking. He was very excited to share it with the Primarchs. Baking was something that he just didn't have time for anymore. It had been the Dark Age of Technology the last time he had found that much spare time. 

"What are we doing today, Father?" Horus asked when it became obvious that the Emperor wasn't leaving for "work".

"Baking," the Emperor said simply, but clearly excited.

"I've never baked before," Fulgrim said perking up.

"I'll stay out here," Ferrus said. He cast a melancholy look at the kitchen. He hadn't yet forgiven himself for the oatmeal incident.

"We can't have that," Fulgrim insisted. "Baking is totally different from cooking, right Father?"

"It is," the Emperor said. "Also, we'll be with you this time, Ferrus."

"I'll stay," Ferrus repeated.

"No, no," Fulgrim said. "You're coming with me." With that he grabbed Ferrus by the arms and dragged him into the kitchen.

The Emperor hid a smile and pulled out three mixing bowls. He offered one to Ferrus while Fulgrim eagerly grabbed his.

"I'll just watch for now," Ferrus said, holding his hands out and shaking his head.

"You can help me once we've gotten started," Fulgrim said. "That way you've seen it."

"Alright," Ferrus said, sounding unsure. 

The Emperor put away the extra bowl and grabbed a container of elastic bands. He selected two and tossed one to Fulgrim. Catching his, Fulgrim pulled his hair back in a skull lock. The Emperor did the same before setting the container aside and insisting that everyone wash their hands. After drying his hands, the Emperor pulled out a large piece of folded cloth from the pantry, followed by a smaller piece that was handed to Fulgrim

"These are new," Fulgrim observed as he unfolded the cloth. It was rectangular, narrow at one end with a loop and broader at the other end. There were straps in the middle, where it started to widen out. Both were crimson, like the robes of a Custodian.

"You were outgrowing yours," the Emperor said as he put his head through the loop at the top of his length of cloth. "And mine was getting too thin."

Both of these things were true, but not the only reasons for the replacement. Fulgrim's had been used to smother the sugar bowl before it had been tossed. Fellnor had then used the Emperor's to beat out the flames on the stove itself. Ferrus still tended to get upset when the oatmeal incident was mentioned, so the Emperor was keeping that aspect out of it. 

"What are they?" Ferrus asked. 

"Aprons," Fulgrim answered. "We wear them to keep our clothes clean. My old one was purple, but it's nice to have one that matches Father's."

"How many eggs do we have?" the Emperor asked. He was pulling out ingredients that they needed. Fulgrim went over to the refrigerator and looked inside.

"We have two dozen," he reported. "That looks like it'll make us a lot of cookies, Father."

"Are we going to need that many for the bake sale?" Ferrus asked. 

"Probably not," the Emperor said. "However, it should cover the bake sale and leave us with some to eat here."

"I like that idea," Fulgrim said. Ferrus nodded his agreement. All  of the Primarchs were fond of cookies. 

"What kind of cookies are you making?" Ferrus asked.

"Sugar cookies," the Emperor said. They were easy to make a lot of, and they could be decorated. That was how he intended to get the other Primarchs involved. They were also quite popular.

Fulgrim watched closely as the Emperor began to mix the cookie dough. He kept looking in his bowl and then back at the Emperor's to be sure that they looked similar. When they finished mixing the dough, Fulgrim looked up expectantly.

"Is mine alright?" he asked. The contents of his bowl looked identical to the Emperor's, but Fulgrim didn't want to go by appearances alone. The Emperor looked into Fulgrim's bowl, and then took a pinch of cookie dough to eat.

"Perfect," the Emperor announced. Fulgrim beamed with pride at that statement. 

"What's the next step?" Fulgrim asked. 

"Now we take the cookie dough and make it into balls," the Emperor said. 

"I can help with that," Ferrus said, coming over from the corner that he had been occupying while the dough was being made.

"Yeah!" Fulgrim said excitedly, waving Ferrus over. The Emperor demonstrated how to roll pinches of cookie dough into balls and place them on the cookie sheets the servitor had pulled out. The Emperor let Ferrus make balls from the dough he had prepared.

"What do we do with the little bits we can't get?" Fulgrim asked.

"Eat it," the Emperor said with a chuckle.

"Isn't that weird?" Fulgrim asked. He didn't like anything that he had cooked before that wasn't finished.

"Raw cookie dough is its own special treat," the Emperor said. "There's something unique about it that makes it different from a baked cookie."

Ferrus looked questioningly at the bowl he was making cookies from. It was nearly empty, so he plucked out a small piece of raw cookie dough and ate it, much as the Emperor had tasted Fulgrim's cookie dough earlier. His eyes widened with surprise and delight.

"It's really tasty, Fulgrim," Ferrus said. "You should try some."

"Alright," Fulgrim said, clearly still doubting. He carefully pulled up his own finger-full of cookie dough. The Emperor and Ferrus watched Fulgrim's face go through a similar gambit as Ferrus's had.

"How long will these take to bake?" Ferrus asked as the Emperor set the cookie sheets in the oven.

"Not long," the Emperor said, setting a timer. "Then we can decorate them."

"Decorate them?" Fulgrim asked, interested.

"It's common to put frosting on sugar cookies," the Emperor explained. "Otherwise they are quite plain looking."

"That's a lot of cookies for us to decorate," Ferrus said doubtfully.

"I was going to have your brothers help with that," the Emperor said. "But we have to wait until the cookies have cooled a bit before frosting them."

"You're going to have Angron frost cookies?" Fulgrim asked.

"I can frost cookies?" Angron asked, having heard Fulgrim's question. 

"Yes," the Emperor said to both of his sons. "Everyone gets to frost cookies."

"When?" Sanguinius asked, following Angron in.

"Soon," the Emperor chuckled. "The cookies are still in the oven."

"Oh," Jaghatai said, looking a bit disappointed. The rest of the Primarchs headed into the kitchen.

"We can still set up to frost the cookies when they are ready," Roboute said.

Everyone agreed and they began to set up to frost cookies. This involved laying a cloth on the table in case things got messy. Fulgrim was of the opinion that it was likely with Angron involved. The oven gave a chime indicating the cookies were done baking. Fulgrim had guided Ferrus to begin making more cookie dough. 

"Now, wait until they are safe to touch," the Emperor said as he removed the cookies from the baking sheets. "That includes you, Vulkan."

"Alright," Vulkan said with an exaggerated sigh. A few of the others chuckled at Vulkan's reaction.

They settle into a rhythm as the baking continued. Angron did get frosting on himself, and on Sanguinius, Roboute, Horus, and Lorgar. Sanguinius had gotten quite annoyed with that as the frosting had gotten on his wings. Angron apologized immediately for it, and even helped Sanguinius clean up the frosting.

"I haven't seen you all--" Malcador's voice trailed off as he entered the kitchen. "Are you wearing an apron?" 

"Yes," the Emperor and Fulgrim said together. 

"They even match," Fulgrim added proudly.

"I see," Malcador said with a chuckle. "So this is where you've hidden yourself all day. What's with all the cookies?"

"The PTA at Nova is putting on a bake sale to fund stage works for a new pageant that Mamzel Eralin wants to put on," the Emperor answered. Lorgar groaned at that announcement. He hadn't yet been aware of another pageant.

"I think that's more than enough cookies," Malcador said with a raised eyebrow.

"Father says that the extra are for eating here," Ferrus said. 

"Have you ever had raw cookie dough, Malcador?" Fulgrim asked. He had gotten all of the other Primarchs to try some when he had any to spare. 

"My mother would have been quite remiss if she hadn't given me raw cookie dough as a child," Malcador answered. He took some from a bowl to prove it.

"Isn't that dangerous?" Mortarion asked. "For you at least?"

"Not really," Malcador said. "There is technically a slight chance that it'll make me sick, but it isn't very high."

"That's good," Magnus said.

"You could probably take some of our excess cookies," Vulkan said. He had been having a lot of fun decorating all of the cookies. 

"I might," Malcador said with a chuckle. "When is this bake sale?" 

"First day of the school week," the Emperor answered. "It'll be running throughout the week."

*************************

The bake sale was quite a success. The Emperor would bring more cookies each day to restock those that had been sold. Other parents noted quickly that the Emperor's cookies sold more than theirs.

"What's your secret, Charles?" Timotas's mother, Coraea, asked one day.

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a secret," the Emperor replied with a smile.

A mother of one of the youngest students came marching up to Coraea and the Emperor. She looked imperative, like she was always wasking to speak to the management. The Emperor inwardly cringed at the prospect of dealing with her. Coraea looked like she recognized the other mother and stepped up to speak first. 

"Hello, Brynda," Coraea said in a falsely cheerful voice. "Anything I can help you with?"

"Are these homemade?" Brynda asked in a clipped voice. "Aerosyntha needs homemade products."

The Emperor raised an eyebrow, and wondered if this was a resurgence of the trend from M3. There had been a massive push against over-processed foods at the time. Coraea smiled, it was clear to the Emperor it was fake.

"Of course they're all homemade," Coraea said. "It's what we all agreed on. Why do you ask?"

As an answer, Brynda pointed an accusatory finger at the Emperor.

"He's brought in far too many for a servitor to not have been involved."

"Your child's in 0 year, isn't she?" Coraea said with an exasperated sigh. This meant that Brynda wasn't likely to know about the "Palace children".

"You're defending him," Brynda said, misconstruing Coraea's comment. The way she said it made it seem like she had caught Coraea doing something scandalous.

"I am right here," the Emperor reminded the two women. "I have many sons, Brynda. They were most eager to help me make cookies for the bake sale."

"And you swear that no servitors touched the cookies?" Brynda demanded.

"On the Throne," the Emperor said. It rather amused him to swear by his own belongings. This seemed to satisfy Brynda after she took a long look at the Emperor's chosen appearance. She threw a look at Coraea before leaving, as if saying she knew the other woman's secret.

"Well, that could have been worse," Coraea said. "I met her last year when my youngest started at the same daycare as Aerosyntha."

"I see," the Emperor said. "Thinks highly of her child, doesn't she?"

"Yeah," Coraea said with a chuckle. "I'll admit that I shelter Timotas a bit too much, but he is my oldest."

"It is hard to learn that they are saying things we aren't alright with," the Emperor said. He was always reminded of that when Lorgar went on religious rants.

"Have you spoken with yours then?" Coraea asked.

"Yes," the Emperor said. "They've agreed to stop participating and encouraging their peers to stop as well."

"That's good," Coraea said. "I'm trying to be more accepting of the idea that Timotas needs to learn what he's learning now."

"Indeed," The Emperor said. Checking his chonometer, he sighed. "I have to head into work."

"Alright," Coraea said. "See you at the next meeting?"

"Yes," the Emperor said. "If I can make it."

*********************

The bake sale was considered a success and Mamzel Eralin was ecstatic with it. She began to busily create the back-drops and props needed for the new pageant she was planning. And with that everyone turned to different things. Brynda continued to be an issue for the PTA in general with her requests for special treatments for her daughter. 

Other than that issue, nothing of import happened until Mamzel Arethea had to take a sick day. Master Kirraen didn't have time to inform the substitute, Mamzel Therrin, about the Primarchs as she had gotten a bit lost on her way to Nova.

"I think I've got this," Mamzel Therrin said. "I've handled 'special' students before."

She was gone before Master Kirraen could say anything else. He had given her the room number for Mamzel Arethea's room so she knew where to go. Master Kirraen shook his head slightly and went back inside his office. He wanted to be near the vox in case Mamzel Therrin had any questions.

*********************

"Hello! I'm Mamzel Therrin," the substitute said cheerfully. "I'm filling in for Mamzel Arethea as she's sick today."

Konrad chorused a greeting with the other members of his class. He shared a quick glance with Mortarion and Alpharius. Mortarion raised an eyebrow, Konrad had planned to pull a prank on one of their normal classmates. Alpharius shook his head, trying to discourage Konrad from doing it with the substitute. 

The lesson began and then they had time to work on their assignments. This was when Konrad had intended to pull the prank. After a bit, he decided to do it anyway. He was alright if he got caught, he could explain himself. At worst he would be sent to Master Kirraen who knew what was going on. His prank was a simple one, but those were his favorite. He walked up and put a piece of lint on the other student's shoulder, then continued on to the waste can and threw something away.

"Hey, Wen," Konrad said on his way back. "There's something on your shoulder."

Wen looked over, and saw the piece of lint, that looked rather like an spider. He hated insects almost as much as Roboute did. This meant that he screamed and leaped out of his chair. Konrad began to laugh, and then got the piece of lint off. 

"Konrad Curze!" Mamzel Therrin called out. "Come see me."

"Yes, Mamzel," Konrad said. His plan was to assert innocence before admitting that he had placed the lint on Wen's shoulder for a joke. 

"What did you do to Wen?" Mamzel Therrin asked. 

"I just pointed out that there was something on his shoulder," Konrad said. "I think that it was a piece of lint. It did look rather like an insect from a distance though."

"Are you sure that you didn't put it there?" she asked, looking at him intently. Konrad realized that she wasn't going to buy the innocent line.

"I put it there, but I promise that it was just a piece of lint," Konrad said. "Mortarion and Alpharius can verify that. I was going to tell him that it was just lint."

"Mortarion and Alpharius are your friends, right?" she asked. 

"My brothers," Konrad corrected. "We're from the Palace."

"That doesn't mean anything to me," Mamzel Therrin stated. "I'm calling your mother."

"You can't," Konrad said. "I don't have one."

"Everyone has a mother," she said. "Even you."

"I don't have one anymore," Konrad clarified. "She's dead." He wasn't fond of playing that card as it often caused people to pity him which he hated.

"I don't believe you," she said sternly. "You just don't want to get in trouble with her. What's her vox code?"

Konrad realized he had to think fast. No one other than Master Kirraen was supposed to get the direct access code to the Emperor. Also, Mamzel Therrin wanted specifically to speak to someone who didn't exist. He consulted his visions of the future to see what was the best way to go. It was then that he got an idea: Malcador. He provided a vox code that he was certain would reach Malcador. He just hoped that Malcador didn't announce his name when he accepted the signal.

"Hello?" Malcador's voice came over the small vox unit in the room. Konrad relaxed a bit as Malcador didn't provide his name.

"Hello, are you Mamzel Curze?" Mamzel Therrin asked. There was a long pause and Konrad began to worry that Malcador had closed the link on the idea that it was a miss-dial.

"I'm Mamzel Therrin," she continued, indicating that the link was still open. "I'm calling about Konrad."

"What did he do?" Malcador asked. Konrad made a mental note to thank Malcador for playing along. Or at least not stating that she had the wrong vox code.

"He pranked another student," she said primly. "I do not allow bullying in my classroom."

"Is Konrad there?" Malcador asked. "I want to speak with him."

"He's right here," Mamzel Therrin said and looked to Konrad. 

"Hello, Mother," Konrad said. He silently apologized, but was certain that Malcador was too far away to pick up on that. Though he also wished he had been able to see Malcador's face.

"Who did you prank?" Malcador asked after another pause.

"Wen," Konrad answered. "It was just a piece of lint. I didn't hurt him. I never hurt anyone with my pranks."

"I know," Malcador said. Konrad realized suddenly that Malcador was trying not to laugh. "Mamzel Therrin, are you a new teacher?"

"I'm a substitute," she answered. "Mamzel Arethea is out sick."

"I see," Malcador said. "Konrad, we will discuss this further when you get home."

"Yes, Mother," Konrad said. He tried to look conciliatory as Mamzel Therrin cut the link. 

"Why did your mother ask about me being new?" Mamzel Therrin asked, turning to Konrad again.

"My brothers and I live at the Palace," Konrad said. "That's something that you should have been informed of by Master Kirraen. He should have also mentioned that there are some oddities about all of us."

"You live at the Imperial Palace?" Mamzel Therrin asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes," Konrad said. "Our parents work very closely with the Emperor himself." It was obvious to him now that for some reason, Master Kirraen hadn't informed Mamzel Therrin about who the Primarchs were.

"It doesn't matter who your parents are," Mamzel Therrin said. "Picking on your classmates is not something that I tolerate. Now go back to your desk."

"Yes, mamzel," Konrad said quietly. He went and sat down again, happy that lunch was next. This way he could warn his brothers who hadn't had Languages yet about the substitute, and that she was uninformed.

***********************

Mamzel Therrin was also happy that it was lunch. She wanted a chance to talk with the other teachers, and see if she could learn why Konrad had lied about his mother. There were two other teachers in the teacher's lounge when she got there, Master Jeccar and Master Hylyn.

She grabbed her lunch and sat apart from the other two as they were deep in their own conversation. While waiting for someone else to enter, she began to try and puzzle out why Konrad had mentioned that he lives at the Palace. She didn't believe that he lived at the Palace itself, more likely close by and he just thought it was the Palace. The long pauses from his mother were also a bit confusing. It was almost like his mother hadn't been contacted by the tutorium before.

"Mamzel Therrin?" Master Kirraen asked, poking his head into the teacher's lounge. "Could you come with me a moment?"

"Of course, headmaster," she said and stood up. 

She was a bit surprised to find Konrad waiting in the hallway. The trio went into the headmaster's office where a hololith man stood on Master Kirraen's desk. The hololith washed out all color from the man's robes, but she could tell they were dark. This also obliterated any type of insignia that he might have been wearing. He was heavily muscled and had only a short line of hair in the middle of his scalp. Mamzel Therrin didn't recognize him, but could tell that he was security of some sort.

"Mamzel Therrin," the man said. "Could you explain what happened in your classroom earlier?"

"Konrad placed something on a student's shoulder," Mamzel Therrin replied. "He claims it was a piece of lint-"

Konrad looked up sharply and went to say something. The man shot him a quick look, and Mamzel Therrin was pleased to see Konrad duck his head.

"And used it to startle his classmate," she finished. "I spoke with his mother about the incident."

"That isn't possible," the man and Master Kirraen said in near unison. 

"I spoke to someone," she asserted. "Konrad did as well."

"Lord Curze?" the man asked, turning to Konrad. 

"She insisted that she speak with my mother," Konrad said, risking a quick glance towards the hololithic man. "I told her I don't have one. And it really was just a piece of lint, Valdor."

"Everyone has a mother," Mamzel Therrin insisted.

"Not everyone," Valdor said. He then turned to Master Kirraen. "Why wasn't she informed?"

"I attempted to, Lord Valdor," Master Kirraen said. "However, the school day was about to start and..." he trailed off.

"I've taught the children of nobles before," Mamzel Therrin stated. "I do not give special treatment to anyone, regardless of their parentage."

Valdor turned to Mamzel Therrin and seemed to assess her. His next question was directed at Konrad, but his eyes were still on the substitute. "When does Lord Sanguinius have her class?"

"It's his first class after lunch," Konrad replied. All of the Primarchs knew each other's schedules. "Ferrus is in that class with him."

"What about Lord Angron?" Valdor asked. 

"The one after Sanguinius," Konrad answered quickly. "Horus is with him. I've already warned them that she's uninformed."

"Very well," Valdor said. "Why did you provide that particular code?"

"I couldn't think of anyone else who would serve well in the role of mother," Konrad admitted. "He seemed amused when I spoke to him."

"He was amused," Valdor admitted.

"He?" Mamzel Therrin asked at the same time.

"You were speaking with Malcador the Sigillite," Valdor said. 

"How did you get that vox code?" Mamzel Therrin asked, turning to Konrad.

Konrad hesitated, glancing at both Master Kirraen and Valdor before answering. Valdor nodded, giving him permission to explain. 

"My father is the Emperor," Konrad said. "Malcador was involved in creating us. Normally we call him uncle though."

"Konrad is a known prankster," Master Kirraen said. "He doesn't hurt people with it."

"I was going to tell him that it was just lint," Konrad asserted. "And make sure that he was alright."

"There is also the arrangement made when we first brought the Primarchs to Nova," Valdor stated.

"Yes," Master Kirraen said. "My apologies, Lord Valdor."

"What arrangement is that?" Mamzel Therrin asked. She was still trying to process the fact that she had spoken to the Sigillite, and that she had been teaching the sons of the Emperor himself. It had always been her policy to treat each child the same, regardless of their parentage. However, this was something special. 

"I'm the only one who's supposed to call the Palace if it needs to happen," Master Kirraen said. "If they are in real trouble, they are always supposed to be sent to me."

"Real trouble?" she asked.

"I'm only considered in trouble if someone gets hurt as a result of my pranks," Konrad said. "Or if it causes too much of a disruption to the class."

"And I violated that agreement," Mamzel Therrin said slowly.

"Yes," Valdor said. "That is why we are having this conversation."

"I got lost," Mamzel Therrin said, trying to explain herself. "I didn't want to delay the start of classes."

"Now you are informed," Valdor said. Turning to Master Kirraen again he continued. "You can explain the rest of it from here?"

"Yes, lord," Master Kirraen said. "There isn't much left, save the standard warnings about specific Primarchs."

"Good," Valdor said with a firm nod before cutting the projection.

"Why was he asking about specific people?" Mamzel Therrin asked after a brief silence.

"Those are some of my more abnormal brothers," Konrad said. "Sanguinius has wings, so he turns the chair backwards to sit. Ferrus has metal hands. Angron isn't quite as bad, but he can be harder to control."

"Any others I should know about?" she asked.

"Vulkan's got red eyes," Konrad said after a quick glance at Master Kirraen. "And Corvus looks like my twin. Also, Magnus is red."

"That's everyone I go over," Master Kirraen said. "You both can go back to lunch now."

Mamzel Therrin and Konrad stepped out of the headmaster's office together. The teacher's lounge was before the cafeteria for students, so Mamzel Therrin stopped first. She turned to Konrad.

"You mentioned that the Sigillite was amused," she said. "Are you sure he wasn't offended?"

"Positive," Konrad said. "Though he will likely discourage us from calling him that again. He likes it when we call him uncle." With that comment, Konrad continued on to the cafeteria.

*****************

Malcador was waiting when the Primarchs got home. Konrad ducked his head a bit sheepishly before heading over to Malcador to apologize.

"Sorry for voxing you, Malcador," Konrad said. "Mamzel Therrin insisted on speaking with my 'mother'. I even told her my mother was dead."

"She really was persistent," Mortarion said, backing up Konrad. 

"Valdor mentioned that as well," Malcador said with a chuckle. "What made you think of me?"

"There was no way I could pass of Valdor as my mother," Konrad said. 

"You have a point there," Malcador said, laughing in earnest at that thought. 

"I also knew that Master Kirraen was the only one who is supposed to contact Father directly," Konrad said. "I wasn't aware that he was the only supposed to contact here at all."

"That's is part of why every new teacher, and substitute, are supposed to be instructed on who you are and how you are to be handled," Malcador said. "Valdor said she was late."

"Apparently," Konrad said. "She also says she's taught noble's children before."

"None of you are just some lordling's sons," Malcador said.

******************

The PTA was having a special meeting. This was called for by Brynda, the mother the Emperor had met during the bake sale. He wasn't sure what it was that she wanted. She was quickly becoming a sore point for the teachers, as well as other parents. The Emperor was finding it harder to not to reveal himself to the rest of the parents as she became more irritating.

The only thing keeping him from doing that was the fact that he knew it would make the situation worse. She would take it as some kind of sign that her daughter was special because the Primarchs went to the same school. He also didn't exactly trust the other parents to not tell their children if he revealed himself. The Primarchs liked having a place where they were considered to be just children by the majority of people that they dealt with, and he didn't want them to lose that. 

"What do you think this is about?" Andross asked as he joined the Emperor.

"I don't know," the Emperor replied. He rather liked Andross, who's son was friendly with Alpharius. The two were working on a group project for Galactic Geography along with a third boy. 

"I hope she isn't trying to get Aerosyntha in advanced classes again," Coraea said as she joined the two fathers. The three often sat together at meetings. 

"Again?" the Emperor asked. He was well aware that Nova didn't offer advanced classes. It was a large part of why he had chosen it over other tutoriums in the area. He would provide the advanced instruction that the Primarchs needed on his own. Andross's response was to groan.

"You were lucky to miss the last meeting," the other father said. "She went on a 20 minute rant about how her child is a prodigy and should be in advanced classes."

"She should have chosen a tutorium that offers those then," the Emperor said. 

"That's what Master Kirraen said."

"She didn't like it," Coraea said. "That's why I'm hoping it's not that again. We might have to sit through a whole lecture about how Nova should be offering them."

"Thank you all for coming to this special PTA meeting," Master Kirraen said. He looked unsettled, like he'd already had a discussion with Brynda that hadn't gone well. "We do have an announcement to make for those with students in Year 3 after an issue is brought to your attention."

With that announcement, he sat down. Brynda nearly skipped into the center of the circle. She waited a few moments before starting her speech. 

"We need to provide advanced classes for our most gifted students," Brynda began. Coraea sighed, and Andross rolled his eyes while trying not to groan. The Emperor stopped paying attention to the rest of Brynda's speech, instead thinking about the rediscovery of another human colony. He hoped it would be an easy compliance as the colony had recently won it's freedom from a small xenos empire. However, it was never easy to tell with planets like that.

"It violates the Lex," Brynda said, causing the Emperor's focus to snap back to the present.

"Nova operates entirely within the bounds of the Lex," he interjected.

"I have research that proves that it isn't," Brynda said.

"You've read it recently?" the Emperor asked. Brynda hesitated a moment, as if she hadn't been expected that question.

"Have you?" she returned, the Emperor was of the opinion that she was playing for time.

"I work very closely with the Lex," the Emperor answered evenly. He noted a ripple go through the teachers. Master Tabriz had a strained look on his face, and Master Jeccar was clearly trying not to laugh. Master Kirraen had put his face in his hand.

"And you can recall it all?" Brynda asked. 

"Augmetics," the Emperor said simply. He refused to reveal himself in front of the entire PTA.

"They aren't obvious," Brynda sniffed.

"That doesn't mean they aren't there," the Emperor replied. Master Jeccar made a sound that he turned into a cough. Brynda shot a glare at him before turning her attention back to the Emperor. 

"I don't believe you even work at the Palace," she said. That drew some gasps from parents who knew about the Primarchs. Master Jeccar sat up straight, his amusement draining away. Master Tabriz slumped deeper in his chair, looking a bit like he wanted the ground to swallow him. 

"I believe we should continue this conversation in private, Mamzel," Master Kirraen said stiffly.  Master Hylyn stood and escorted Brynda out of the room. 

"I mentioned that we had a separate announcement," Master Kirraen said, taking the center of the circle. "And that is we are going to have a career day in Year 3. We would like at least one person from each family to show up for this."

Looks were exchanged among the parents. The Emperor knew that there was almost no way that he was going to be able to make it. He began to consider other options. Valdor was right out. The Custodian showing up would reveal the Primarchs for what they were, and he didn't want that. This left him in a similar situation to Konrad. There was only one other person who would even likely work: Malcador. 

"We know that this will require planning for everyone," Master Kirraen said. "We want to do it in a month. Please let me know if you need more time."

******************

"How did the meeting go last night?" Malcador asked the Emperor. 

"They are planning a career day," the Emperor replied. "They're hoping to get a family member from each family to show up."

"How long do we have to plan?" Malcador asked. 

"A month," the Emperor said. "It hasn't been announced to the children yet."

"You want me to go," Malcador said. 

"It'll have to be one of us," the Emperor said. "If I can make it, I will go."

"It does make sense that it has to be one of us," Malcador said. "Valdor is family to the Primarchs, but isn't a good option for career day."

"None of us are, in honesty," the Emperor said with a chuckle. "He's just the worst choice because they're all too old."

"In that sense I'm a better choice than you," Malcador said with his own chuckle. "There is literally no one else who can do your job."

"That isn't true," the Emperor said, . "You wouldn't be able to fill in if that were the case."

"I can only do it because I've been with you from the outset," Malcador said. "The Imperium wouldn't function if we both left without providing some kind of standing instructions."

"A good leader's purpose is to bring his people to being able to govern themselves," the Emperor said firmly. This was ground the two had covered before. Malcador was of the opinion that humanity would always need the Emperor in order to keep itself together.

"Even if that's true, we need you for awhile yet," Malcador said. "I can't lead the people to your vision for humanity."

"Fair enough," the Emperor sad. "This still leaves us with one of us going to career day for the Primarchs."

"If I go I want it understood that I'm not their mother," Malcador said. There had been a bit of joking about that, though the Primarchs hadn't actually called him that since Konrad had over the vox.

"Done," the Emperor said with another chuckle.

*********************

"There's going to be a career day next week," Horus announced one day. The Primarchs were all curious to see how the Emperor intended to handle the situation. 

"I know," the Emperor said. There was a pause as the Primarchs waited for him to elaborate.

"You're not coming," Sanguinius said when the Emperor didn't; wings dipping.

"I'm not," the Emperor agreed. "But Malcador will be going instead."

"As himself?" Angron asked before anyone else could react. Malcador had only come to Nova once, and that was to retrieve Angron after the Araethur incident. There had been no need to hide who he was for that.

"Yes," the Emperor said with a chuckle. They had agreed that if asked Malcador was doing it as a favor for Charles Mange. This detail was mostly for Coraea and Andross who would both be there.

"That'll be interesting," Mortarion said. 

"I can still call him 'uncle' right?" Magnus asked.

"Of course," the Emperor said. "He just doesn't want you calling him 'mother'." 

"I won't," Konrad said, causing laughter from his brothers. 

*********************

Malcador arrived at Nova and found the area where the parents were waiting. He was one of the later arrivals due to a meeting that had ran long. Silence fell on the group of adults as they realized who had joined them. Several bowed, and a few looked about ready to kneel.

"Why are you here, lord?" a mother asked.

"I'm just here as a private citizen," Malcador said. "Doing a favor for someone."

The other adults seemed to accept this, but were hesitant in returning to their previous conversations. Malcador stayed apart, trying to minimize the effect of his presence. Silence fell on the room again as Master Kirraen entered. He took note of Malcador and gave a bow before addressing the Sigillite directly.

"We do have a few chairs if you would like one, lord," Master Kirraen said.

"That's not necessary, Stenthys," Malcador said, waving away the headmaster's concern. "The offer is appreciated though."

"We will be starting soon," Master Kirraen said, now addressing the whole room. "Is there anyone with time constraints? We'll have those people go first to try and minimize the conflict."

There was only one person who admitted to have a tight schedule to get this done. Master Kirraen had that mother follow him out so she could be the first to talk to the students. Everyone remaining looked around in an attempt to determine some type of order. Eventually everyone had stated their preferences, except for Malcador.

"I'll go last," Malcador said. "No one should feel intimidated by going after me."

"That does seem fair," Coraea said. Malcador recognized he from the Emperor's description. There was also an echo of him on her soul that Malcador could sense. "I'll still stay second to last."

"If that's what you want," Malcador said.  Coraea nodded, and the two settled in to wait. There was a 15 minute limit on presentations to ensure that everyone got a chance. It also kept things at just the right pace for the students. 

Master Kirraen and Master Jeccar took turns retrieving parents from the waiting area. Their numbers dwindling until it was just five people in the room. The door opened unexpectedly, causing them all to look up sharply.

Brynda stormed into the room and looked around, clearly looking for someone. "Where is Master Kirraen? And what are all of you doing here?"

"Career day for Year 3 students," Coraea answered. "Master Kirraen is helping to facilitate presentations. Master Jeccar should be here soon to get the next parent."

"It's Master Kirraen I asked for, not Jeccar," Brynda snapped. "Why wasn't I informed of this?"

"You don't have anyone in Year 3," Coraea said. Aerosyntha was Brynda's only child. "It was also announced after Master Hylyn escorted you out of the last meeting for insulting Charles."

"The man you're sleeping with?" Brynda accused sharply. "I don't even see him here, must be too busy 'reading the Lex'."

"Charles Mange is in fact quite busy today," Malcador said. He had been rather surprised that Brynda hadn't noticed him when she came in. He was hardly inconspicuous. "And he's not just reading the Lex, he is writing it down."

"How would---" Brynda faltered in her angry questioning as she realized who she was addressing. "Uh..."

"He asked me to come in his stead," Malcador said. "His sons were quite excited about career day, and he didn't want to disappoint them."

"So he really does work with the Lex," Brynda managed after a moment. 

"Yes," Malcador said. "He works very closely with the Emperor and myself. I also suggest you wait for Master Kirraen at his office."

Brynda blinked a moment and then turned towards the door. She looked over her shoulder and called out one last parting shot to Coraea. "Well, you could have found someone worse while your husband's off-world."

An awkward silence fell on the room as the door closed behind Brynda. Coraea turned to Malcador with an apologetic look. It was hampered by the rising color of her face.

"I swear I'm not sleeping with Charles," she said quietly. 

"I know you're not," Malcador said. "It's hard to keep secrets around me."

"I have a question for you, if you can answer it," Coraea said, glancing over at the others in the room. Malcador nodded for her to continue. "Who is Charles?"

"What makes you think he is someone other than who he says he is?" Malcador returned.

"Several things," Coraea said. "One is the names of the Palace children, the same as the Lord Primarchs. Two is that when Brynda argued with Charles at the PTA meeting, the reactions from the teachers were interesting."

"Oh?" Malcador asked, raising a questioning eyebrow. 

"Master Jeccar was trying not to laugh," Coraea said. "When she accused Charles of lying about his occupation, Master Tabriz looked like he wanted to sink into the ground."

"Any other points?" Malcador asked.

"You being here today," Coraea said. "You don't really seem the type to grant favors to others. At least not of this nature."

"I see," Malcador said. "You are right that the 'Palace children' as you name them, have the names of the Primarchs. If I told you that they are the Primarchs, would that answer your question?"

"Yes," Coraea said. "That would answer the question of who Charles is." Her eyes widened in shock as the full realization of who she had befriended hit her. 

"Don't tell your son," Malcador said. "The Primarchs like having a place where for the most part they are just children. Just being from the Palace sets them apart without their parentage being known."

"I understand," Coraea said. "I won't tell them. Timotas is a bit scared of An-- Lord Angron anyway."

"Not Konrad?" Malcador asked. "He'll be saddened."

"Really?" she asked surprised.

"Konrad wants to be feared by just about everyone," Malcador said with a chuckle.

************************

Finally it was Malcador's turn to present his "career". He had already determined that he would discuss the duties of an acutal Palace administrator instead of the specifics of what he did as the Sigillite. It wasn't all fun and games, but he felt he could put an interesting spin on it.

"Here is our last guest of the day," Master Jeccar said. Master Kirraen had gone off to deal with whatever Brynda had wanted. "He's a very special guest, from the Palace itself. This is Lord Malcador, the Sigillite."

"Hello," Malcador said, turning to the crowd of young children. Several of them looked excitedly at his staff, trying to sneakily point at it. The Primarchs led the chorus of greetings in return. Magnus was almost physically glowing with how happy he was that he was there. "I'll be talking to you about some of what I do at the Imperial Palace."

He proceeded to explain what a Palace administrator was and the different aspects of the Imperial machine that they controlled. He went to move on to the more interesting aspects of the role that he could cover in the amount of time he had, but was interrupted by a student somewhere in the middle of the audience.

"Shouldn't you be retired?"

"Please save your questions for the end of the presentation," Master Jeccar said. "Apologies, my lord."

"It's alright," Malcador said. "Curiosity isn't a bad thing, but it does need to be controlled." 

"Now it's time for questions," Malcador said after explaining the different parts of being a Palace administrator. Several hands shot in the air, but the same voice as before got the first official question out.

"Are you going to answer my question from earlier?"

"The Emperor wants me to continue serving," Malcador said. "Sometimes we must continue, even when we should have stopped. Next question."

"Is that real fire on your staff?" 

"No," Malcador answered. "Those are psyflames. I control them."

"Is your job boring?" 

"I don't think it's boring, but some might," Malcador said. "Unfortunately that is all the time I have." 

"Everyone please thank Lord Malcador for his time," Master Jeccar said as Malcador moved off to the side. There was a chorus of "thank you"s spear-headed by the Primarchs again. Malcador hid his smile by giving a nod to recognize the thanks.

****************************

"Thanks for coming for career day, Uncle Malcador," Magnus said when they got out a few minutes later. Career day had been scheduled for the end of the day and Malcador had decided to stay and bring the Primarchs home.

"You're welcome," Malcador said. "Your father didn't want you to be left out."

"Do you think there will be one next year?" Horus asked.

"Possibly," Roboute said. "However, I doubt that it'll be for our year again. It makes more sense to spread them out. We've learned about interesting things to try and shape us early in life."

"Not that it changes what our lives will be," Lorgar said. "We already know what we will be."

"It's still important to have an understanding of what other people will be doing," Alpharius said. "We may not need the direction, but others in our class probably appreciated it."

"Where did Master Kirraen go?" Corvus asked.

"Something came up with a parent for a student in another grade," Malcador said. "She was most insistent that she see him."

"I hope it wasn't something serious," Corvus said.

****************************

It was PTA night again, the last before a short break in the school year. Malcador had informed the Emperor that Coraea knew his secret, along with the accusations Brynda had made about the two sleeping together. The Emperor hoped that the second part wouldn't come up in the meeting. He felt that hope dying as he spotted Brynda already there.

"Hey, Charles," Andross said as he took the seat next to the Emperor. "How did you get the Sigillite to fill in for you on Career Day?" 

"He offered," the Emperor said. "He couldn't free my schedule up to come, said he felt responsible for my sons not having anyone."

"That's impressive," Andross said. This made the Emperor wonder if the other father was also suspicious of who he really was.

"He tries really hard to be fair to us," the Emperor said. "He doesn't do things like that often though."

"I believe that," Andross said with a chuckle. "I'm almost sad I missed it. Just to see the looks on other people's faces." Andross had had a sudden emergency at his job, preventing him from showing up.

"He said there were some interesting ones when he first showed up," the Emperor said with an answering chuckle. Coraea joined the two fathers then, a sour expression crossing her face when she spotted Brynda.

"Hopefully this is quick and she doesn't get a chance to talk," Coraea muttered so only the Emperor and Andross could hear her.

"I as well," the Emperor said. "I've been informed she has accused us of sleeping together."

"That's ridiculous," Andross said. "She doesn't have any evidence."

"Her evidence is my defending him," Coraea said. "As if I can't just be friends with a man."

"That isn't really evidence that you're sleeping together," Andross said. He worked for the investigative branch of the Arbites and knew what evidence was needed to lay claims of any sort.

"I know," Coraea said. She glanced at the Emperor and he was pleased to see that she wasn't afraid or intimidated by him. He found that it was nice to have a small escape from being the Emperor, and had been concerned that Coraea being aware of who he really was would damage that.

The meeting was smooth until the end with Master Kirraen asked if there was anything that the parents wanted to address before they ended for the night. This was when Brynda stood up and indicated both Coraea and the Emperor.

"Those two are sleeping together," Brynda stated loudly. "What kind of example is that setting our children?"

"How do you know we are sleeping together?" the Emperor asked. He saw several of the teachers pale. Master Tabriz looked like he wanted to run from the room but stayed out of a sense of decorum. 

"Every time I deal with her, she mentions you," Brynda said proudly, as if that was all the evidence she needed.

"How does that prove your accusation?" the Emperor pressed. "We've never kept our friendship a secret. That doesn't mean that it's anything more than that. Besides, Coraea is married, and I respect the sanctity of marriage."

Brynda sputtered, realizing that she didn't really have evidence. There were no amorous glances in meetings, odd pick ups, or anything that would imply the either even knew where exactly the other lived. It was well known that "Charles" lived at the Palace due to his work. That was where all Palace administrators lived. With that she sat down sullenly.

"Is that everything?" Master Kirraen asked after a moment. No one else spoke, several parents shook their heads. "Then we'll meet again after the break."