Chapter Text
Manfred’s collection started with a particularly shiny silver button. The button had fallen off of the coat of one of Professor Volkarin’s cadavers for anatomy class. No one else had noticed the button fallen off and rolled his way. Manfred didn’t understand why he liked it, perhaps because the button was a secret. Something only he knew about. Or maybe he just liked how shiny it was. Manfred tucked the button into one of his backpack’s many pockets. He continued his day as if nothing significant had happened.
Over the next few days, Manfred began to notice how many buttons there were in the world. They were everywhere! Students had them on their book bags, Mourn Watchers had them on their cloaks, but Professor Volkarin? Professor Volkarin had the largest button collection. He had buttons on his pants, vests, shirts, jackets, cloaks, and even some shoes. Manfred only had one measly button.
So, Manfred retrieved a dusty, unused jar from a forgotten corner of the Mourn Watch Academy’s alchemy room and began his collection. At first, he was a little afraid to go after any of the lovely buttons. So, he made do with the ones he found on the floors of the Academy’s halls and classrooms. His collection grew a little, but it wasn’t enough.
He began plucking buttons off the clothing of cadavers. Having learned how to sew and armed with a seam ripper, Manfred became quite adept at popping off a button quickly. For a while, this satiated him; the jar of buttons filled nicely.
One day, Professor Volkarin asked Manfred to mend one of his vests, but a button had popped off. Would he please hang it in the closet when he was done? Manfred, giddy with excitement, had agreed with an enthusiastic hiss. But, when he had the sewing needle in hand and the button in the other, the temptation proved too much. The button was too round, too shiny, too perfect. So it went into the jar. After that, Manfred began collecting buttons from Professor Volkarin’s collection; he had so many that Manfred doubted he would notice. And, for a while, he didn’t.
A whole month later, Professor Volkarin called Manfred into the study.
“Manfred,” said the Professor. “I am missing a button on my vest, shirt cuff, and pants. Would you happen to know anything about this?”
Manfred gave an affirmative hiss and beckoned Professor Volkarin to follow him. He led him to the cabinet, where he kept his precious collection. The jar was quite heavy, almost full, and when Manfred pulled it out to show it to Professor Volkarin, he looked shocked.
“Why, Manfred! How on earth did you amass such a collection?” Professor Volkarin exclaimed, taking the button jar from Manfred and setting it on the ground. As the Professor observed the jar in awe, Manfred felt proud. The Professor was clearly impressed.
After a few moments, Volkarin shook his head and sighed, “Manfred, allow me to teach you how to create and maintain a collection ethically.”