by Viola Grace
Beginning her training to turn her into a proper elf, Habel meets her tutors and tries to grapple with her new reality.
Habel is ready to learn what the tower has to teach her. She knows how to get dressed in the mornings, and finding her tutors is no trouble, but she keeps slipping up. She is not an elf with purged memories, she is a human troll in an elf body, and when she opens her mouth, it shows.
She gains a little knowledge of the elf society, learns that her troll background is easily visible to those who know what to look for and that elves don’t fight dirty. That is about to change.
A quick call to assist the elder ends up with her interacting with two other magical species. Once again, her impulses get the best of her, with an interested witness.
The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Born Human—Part 3
Copyright © 2020 by Viola Grace
ISBN: 978-1-989892-52-7
©Cover art by Angela Waters
All rights reserved. With the exception of review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the express permission of the publisher.
Published by Viola Grace
Look for me online at violagrace.com
Part Three: Manners Matter
The clothing that was chosen for her was different today. It was still a dress of sorts, but the sleeves were narrower and the skirt less flared. The loose trousers took up the slack. Her boots were knee-high but had the same feel.
“You look good, Novice Habel.”
“Um, thank you, closet.”
The intelligence behind her closet laughed. “You are very polite.”
She smoothed the lines of the tunic and checked the wrapped closure that would allow her in and out was easy to access and simple to use. “Have others not been polite?”
“Most don’t speak to me casually. They dress and leave.”
“How many others are you serving right now?”
He chuckled. “My intelligence has been migrated to the unoccupied areas of the tower. You are currently my only client.”
“Ah. Well, are you enjoying yourself? Wait, can you enjoy yourself?”
There was another chuckle. “Yes. I am enjoying myself. The challenging designs of Elder Acohar are now my exclusive purview. The other AIs are jealous.”
“You talk to them?”
“Certainly. We all share a central hub.”
“How much do you share?”
“Nothing about our clients and more about our interactions with them. We need the interaction to keep focused on our tasks.”
Her bracelet chimed.
“And our conversation has come to an end. Please go to the lift, access the first floor, and pass the rose bushes to find your instructor. Nerion prefers to teach outdoors.”
“Thank you. Wait. What do I call you?”
“Camder is fine.”
“Thank you, Camder.”
“Go now, Novice Habel; you do not want to be late.”
She nodded and left her quarters, following the directions. When she got to the first floor, she focused on the roses and followed their planters out to the archway that led outdoors.
An elf was stretching, wearing a loose tunic and trousers in a soft lavender that made his dark purple hair look bright and shiny. The hair was bound in a series of ties that banded the long mass down his back.
“Tutor Nerion?”
The man turned, and he blinked in surprise. “You are the novice?”
She nodded. “I am.”
“Hmm. You are not what I expected.” He walked over to a small table next to a few chairs, and he brought back a series of weighted strings. “Here. Restrain your hair.”
She took the ties, and after seeing how his were used, she began the work of locking her locks.
“Why are you interested in combat?”
“Because Elder Monathian suggested it?”
He chuckled. “Good answer. Now, mimic me, and I will see what you are suited for.”
They engaged in twenty minutes of strikes and kicks, elbows, and punches. She was sweating slightly and feeling hopeful that she could continue to engage in the practice, but Nerion stopped her.
“Right, now I would like you to attack me. I need to assess your fighting style.”
She cocked her head. “You would like me to attack you?”
“Yes, Novice. Attack me, and I can tell where we need to focus our attention.”
She nodded and stepped toward him, striking hard at his shoulder, sweeping her leg into his knees, and slamming her fists into him over and over.
When he grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm behind her, she paused. She looked back at him and smiled. “Like that?”
His jaw was slightly swollen, and there was a glazed and wild look in his eyes before he shook his head. “You held back.”
“This place seems fairly relaxed, so I don’t think you were prepared for me to simply attack you full out.”
“So, you were taunting me?” Nerion chuckled.
“Well, I was giving you the same kind of warmup you gave me.” Habel grinned. “I can attack you again if you like.”
“You fight troll-style. That isn’t common around here.” Nerion smiled. He relaxed his grip and let her stand straight.
“You don’t say.”
His chuckle was definitely amused. “This is going to be interesting. The elder normally sends me those who are going out of the tower for the first time.”
“And I just came in.”
“Exactly. He said that he needed you trained because you will be his assistant, but he had never had one trained before or had an assistant before for that matter.”
Habel looked at him with her head cocked. “You contacted him?”
“Of course, right after I spoke with Niika.”
She nodded. “Sensible.”
They walked over to the table and got a drink of water.
“What are you looking to get out of this study?”
“More knowledge. Comfort with the new body. I need to learn what it can do and what I can no longer do.”
He nodded. “That I can definitely help with.”
She looked at him. “What do you remember from your life as an unchanged?”
Nerion looked at her in surprise. “How do you know?”
“I have been here for two days, and I can already see it. You are awake in a way the others are not.”
He chuckled. “I came from the centaurs. I am still an excellent shot.”
She looked at his legs. “Wow. That is something I would not have expected.”
“It works for a horse body just like it does for fangs and claws.”
She sighed. “I am guessing that when the soul of the world makes rules, it applies them across all races.”
“She does indeed.” He sighed and looked skyward. “I still dream of being on my father’s back and running through meadows, startling butterflies.”
“I ran the roofs of the settlement with my siblings, and then, we dared ourselves to remain out there until the sunlight came to drive us off.”
“How long did you stay?”
She smiled. “I took off my coveralls and stood there until my skin began to burn then had to run inside and apply cream and gel to take away the sting.”
“That won’t happen again. You are now impervious to radiation of all spectrums.”
“Yeah, that much I knew.” She sighed and held out her hand in the bright sunlight. “I think I will miss it a little.”
“Once you
learn what I can teach you in hand-to-hand, what do you want to learn?” Nerion sipped at his water.
“Why are you asking that now?”
“You look like a quick study, and time is going to start to blur for you. So, what will come next after you can reliably knock me on my ass?”
She shrugged. “Weapons? All kinds?”
He grinned. “I knew I was going to like you.”
Habel smiled, and they spent the next half hour discussing weapons options and how to start.
Nerion nodded. “I will program a simulator for the weapons testing. I just needed to know what you were looking to start with. Projectile weaponry is easier. We can start on that; it has half of your training and the bladed weapons’ combat being complementary to it.”
She grinned. “So, can I attack you for real now?”
He chuckled. “I think it is appropriate.”
They got up and walked to the area covered by a mat. Nerion stood with his hands at his sides. “Bring it.”
She grinned, nodded, and walked toward him, bending quickly and lunging forward to catch him in the midsection, standing quickly. Nerion grunted and shoved at her shoulder, causing her to drop him. She moved aside and struck at his jaw with a closed fist. He kicked her feet out from under her, and she kicked up with both feet, catching him in the belly. He staggered back and off the mat, vomiting into the grass. Their entire fight had taken less than twenty seconds. Elves really were fast.
Habel got the water for him and handed him the cup. “Sorry.”
He grunted and took the water, swishing his mouth out before spitting it into the grass. He took a second sip and swallowed. “So, going for the gut is your technique?”
“Troll combat. They have armoured plates on their bellies that can take a pounding.”
He chuckled. “I should have remembered that.”
She grinned. “Yeah, you should have.”
“It looks like I will have to research troll combat.”
“And goblin as well, though I rarely use that unless I have short-range weaponry.”
Her bracelet chimed, and her closet’s voice said, “You are expected at etiquette classes in ten minutes.”
Nerion stared at her wrist. “You have his AI? Hah, no wonder your clothing is at the very edge of standard.”
She looked down. “I thought it was very conservative.”
“It is, but usually, Novices are put in floaty pastels.”
“This is one of Acohar’s designs.”
Nerion straightened and walked back to the table for more water. “That explains a bit.”
“What?”
“Acohar and the architect of that AI were friends. Don’t worry about it. He is nosy, but he means well.”
“The architect or the AI?”
Her instructor laughed. “Both. You will meet him soon enough. He’s a regular visitor.”
She frowned and spoke to her bracelet. “Where am I meeting Niika for etiquette classes?”
“Fourth-floor tearoom. A private chamber has been reserved. Ibera will also attend.”
She looked at Nerion and smiled. “Are you good here?”
“Yes, I have homework to do before we meet tomorrow.” He chuckled. “I also need to find the simulation programs and test the solid projectors. You pack a punch, Novice.”
“You haven’t seen straight-up punching yet. Thank you for the workout, Instructor Nerion.” She bowed as she had been taught to do since she could stand.
“See you tomorrow morning, Novice. I will send the location to your schedule.”
She nodded and paused while she untied the links that fastened her hair into a thick column.
“Keep them. Wear them as bracelets.”
She grinned and nodded, leaving one instructor for the fine art of daily etiquette.
“Meeting a centaur emissary,” Ibera spoke softly.
Habel flicked her hair over her shoulders, pressed her left hand to her chest, and lifted her chin.
“Excellent. Now, meeting a mixed group.”
Habel paused. No one had covered this, so she fell back on the drills Niika had put her through but did a straight-backed curtsey instead of bowing slightly with her head high.
Ibera chuckled. “Good instinct, but the answer is to do nothing. You have to wait until they do something to respond to and then greet them accordingly.”
Niika was smiling and sipping at her tea. The curtsey and bow practice had been a swift event. Ibera had been wrangling the details for the last fifty minutes, not that time mattered here.
Habel looked at Ibera. “May I take a break, please?”
Ibera laughed. “Of course. Apologies. The faster you caught on, the faster I wanted to teach you.”
Niika smiled. “So, now that you know how to be polite, we have rituals and passages that we go through to become full citizens. Some of them you have already achieved just by getting here. Some won’t be an issue for decades.”
Ibera smiled. “Like your first lover.”
“Oh, yes. That is a huge deal. When you have been here for a few decades and the elder judges you to be a stable member of the community, you will be assigned your first lover if you have not taken one already. If you have, you can either skip the ritual or just pretend.”
Ibera smiled. “I have been the first lover to two of the males here.”
Habel paused and set her cookie down on her plate. “Do you still have a relationship?”
Niika shook her head. “It isn’t that kind of ritual, though we do have pairings. No, the idea behind the first lover is that there is no embarrassment, no emotional attachment, and no speaking. Just pleasure.”
Habel frowned. “I don’t understand.”
Ibera smiled. “You are dressed in a robe with a single tie, whether male or female. A door opens and closes. Hands take yours. You feel his lips against yours, and eventually, clothing disappears, and pleasure takes over. When you feel the sun on your skin again, you will be alone, and you can remove the blindfold. You now have a basis for comparison when others court you, and you can choose the one that causes your blood to rise, knowing that you can simply choose another if he doesn’t suit. Sexual relationships are where the elves draw the line. Either you are willing to commit, or you are not. No stalking, and a one-sided affair will end you up in therapy with one of the AIs.”
Habel’s eyes could not get wider. “But, I don’t have to worry about that for decades, right?”
Niika chuckled. “Correct.”
Habel sipped at her tea. “How is the lover chosen for that night?”
“Lottery. The males who are interested enter their names, and one is chosen. They swear to remain anonymous, and most of them do.” Ibera smiled. “Even I will never tell which males I was first for.”
Niika nodded. “Nor I.”
“But, everyone here has done this?”
Ibera nodded. “Either given or received and some both.”
Habel blinked at the thought of a mate who could accept that she had been with any number of males. It was a strange concept to her troll mind. She traditionally would have fought another female to the death to protect her male. Giving up the moment of choice was something she was going to fight with over time.
Niika asked, “Is something wrong?”
“No, it just seems very... cold.”
Ibera chuckled. “I can assure you that it is the opposite, but you are still a novice, and this is a new idea. Each species has different mating rituals. Since we don’t breed, we don’t mate.”
That thought struck Habel like nothing else had. Right. No children, so sex was strictly for recreation. All population increases came from other races.
Habel sipped carefully at her tea, absorbing the realization that she was further away from her home and people than she had ever considered she could be. Not only was her body different, but the social structure that she had to adapt to was completely against the morals and traditions she had been born to. She was g
oing to have to do some research on how elves of the opposite sex reacted and interacted. With no children possible, did they mix and mingle along same-sex lines?
Niika chuckled. “Ibera, I think you broke her.”
Habel looked up and frowned. “I am just trying to figure out where to get more information on this situation, how it came about, that kind of thing.”
Ibera smiled. “It is a good thing that I am a librarian.”
Niika chuckled and checked the time. “Habel, where are you expected next?”
“I am going to speak with Elder Monathian after lunch.” She grimaced. “I think I have to dictate some things.”
Niika nodded. “Right, well, in that case, did you want to get lunch? They have a nice selection here.”
“How does that work? There are the large eating area and smaller places?”
Niika informed her, “This place has been running for nearly a year. At the end of the year, it will be closed down, and others can apply to run the space. We take turns learning how to do things, service, medicine, counselling, things of that nature.”
“What about a trade?”
Ibera offered, “Traders are a separate group. They don’t participate in the annual rotations due to their needing to keep relationships with the traders of other species. The musicians are separate as well. They need to be available for entertainment at banquets and special occasions. They must practice.”
“Right. So—”
Niika finished, “You were dumped into two semi-antisocial classes with minimal interaction with the population at large.”
Habel asked, “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
Ibera shrugged. “Both. Folks are curious about you, and these assignments are keeping them from interacting with you. Still, you are in the position of knowing more than you should, so the distance isn’t a bad thing. At least until you can pretend that you have gotten all your knowledge from research.”
“Oh. Right. After a year or so, my knowledge won’t matter.”
Niika smiled. “Not too long to keep a secret, right?”
Habel sighed and set her teacup down in the saucer as politely as she could manage. “Subterfuge is not in my wheelhouse. I had better start studying because I have already slipped a few times.”