It was simple, clear, and perfect for them. They got all the benefits of being in a relationship, with none of the downsides. They were happy with being open and honest, which made for a good start. They acknowledged the possibility of their relationship changing over time, but for the current time, they were happy just being what they were, and not needing anything else. To celebrate their new understanding, they skipped dinner and spent the rest of the night understanding one another in Pryshka’s room.
14
“Mel you won’t believe this! I am going on a mission as a Freshman! A Freshman not even finished with their first trimester!”
“Is that a good thing?”
“Of course it is a good thing! It shows just how much they recognize my amazing talent! Even my mentor who is astonishingly handsome, extremely tall, and good at everything can’t say he did that.”
“Here we go again, it is always about this Anaar guy. Don’t you have a whole other mentor? What about her?”
“She treats me like a child and as if I am an idiot. She is not even that smart!”
“Are you sure? Because the few times you have mentioned her it is usually cursing her for making you feel like an idiot.”
“That is not true. I have mentioned her other times.”
“Name one.”
“Well… I told you she was not much taller than me!”
“You told me she was only a little over a foot taller than you, and that was after your half hour long rant about her not seeing your worth.”
“You are my big sister! You are supposed to be on my side!”
“I am on your side. Remember when mom and dad refused to let you enroll in that school? Who was there to convince them that despite your size, you are not a baby anymore?”
“Just because you are the only normal sized one in the family doesn’t mean you get to poke fun at me all the time.”
“Yes I do. It is written in the big sister handbook. Emphasis on big.”
Though Peter huffed, it was only a show. There was no one he adored more in the world than his eldest sibling Melody. From a young age there was something strangely comforting about the way she held him. She was still short however, as she was only about an inch shorter than the evil that was Codi. In his world, that made her normal, and as much as he pretended, normal felt good.
Peter was utterly flabbergasted when his afternoon tea was interrupted by a surprisingly hesitant Anaar. Though he grew up in America, the Welsh customs of his family were deeply ingrained in him, and he would have been upset if it were anyone else. When Anaar explained to him the mission they would be going on together, he was filled with a number of emotions.
He began with shock, as even upperclassmen had to be specially equipped and cleared to partake in missions. From what he understood, many of them had not been afforded the opportunity to find glory in the prestigious outings, and instead were relegated to staying on campus to better themselves. For him, a new student with absolutely no training, to be chosen to go on missions, someone must have been watching him closely to see all his potential.
Once over the initial surprise, he moved on to giddy excitement for a number of reasons. While the mission alone would no doubt be quite the adventure, at least from what he heard, it was who he was with that made it even more alluring. His feelings toward Anaar were complicated, even if his relationship with him was not. To Anaar, Peter was no more than a mentee to foster and look after, and possibly a test subject for his research on attunements and manifestations.
His own idea of their relationship could not be more muddled. It was impossible to deny the blinding beauty of the giant man. As if his physical attributes were not enough to cause someone to become enamored, his personality and intellect were even more astounding. Not only was he without a doubt the smartest student on campus, he could possibly be the smartest person on campus, which was quite an accomplishment considering some of the greatest minds to ever exist called Sophangence their home.
Always willing to see the positives in people, and do his best to help someone else, whether they needed it or not, Anaar was often in the good graces of everyone around him, and many people mentioned how they were indebted to him. It was for that reason Peter could not consider his connection with Anaar anything out of the ordinary, since it was his natural inclination to be of service to others. The only reason why he was the beneficiary of it so often was because his status as his mentee afforded him more time and reasons to be around him.
This made it difficult because though it was so easy to see Anaar as a romantic interest, despite him being in a relationship with someone else just as gorgeous, Peter also deeply respected and admired him. He made being a mentor more than just a title, he lived and breathed it, embodying someone who should be looked to for leadership and guidance. In that, he became the physical representation of everything Peter wanted to be.
While most people made him self-conscious about his size, though he would never admit to it, Anaar somehow never made him feel that way, despite how much bigger he was than most people, nevertheless Peter himself. Someone who could do that inherently deserved something beyond normal adoration, it was almost as if he required deification. Then with how warm and caring he was, he genuinely had become to feel like the older brother he never had.
If Melody had always been the apple of his eye because of her normal size and the way she made him feel, it came as no surprise Anaar would fall into that same category. Much like Melody, he refused to let Peter feel sorry for himself, or look down on himself. Though their methods differed, the result was the same. Melody often joked about his size in an attempt to cheer him up and immunize him against the harshness of the world, while Anaar always made sure he never had to apologize for being smaller than everyone else, encouraging him to show the world he was not someone to be pitied.
When Peter had gotten over his feelings, it suddenly became much more apparent he was not properly equipped to take on a mission. From what Anaar had told him, missions could be very dangerous, thus they required an enormous amount of training and preparation. If he was to undertake such an adventure, he would need to do all he could to get ready. In the interclass event a few weeks prior, Anaar’s class had shown just how much room they had to grow in terms of combat and tactics.
“Hello, earth to Peteypie. Are you listening to me?”
Snapping from his thoughts, Peter realized he was still talking to Melody. “Oh, I apologize, what did you say?”
“Typical, pay attention little one! I said this seems a bit premature. Everything you have told me about these missions indicate they can be dangerous. You may be smart, but someone could throw you in a sack and feed you to their dog.”
“A dog?! At least feed me to a bear or something…”
“Who has a pet bear? You haven’t answered my question. I need to know you aren’t getting yourself into something you can’t handle.”
“It will be fine. Anaar will be with me. He is the strongest person in the school, and he is almost annoyingly overprotective. Also, I have been told part of my cover for this mission is that I have no experience. If I was too well prepared it would apparently raise red flags.”
“This still seems extremely risky for a new student.”
“That is why they are pairing me with a… not as new student…”
“You have really won my vote of confidence…”
“Just be excited for me Mel! I must go now, but I will call you and tell you all about it once I return.”
“You had better!”
Peter pressed the end button on his cell phone, something he was still struggling with balancing. For the day to day communications with his friends on campus, he always used his Vizer. Because they had been together when being fitted for them, they did not even attempt to exchange mobile numbers.
The Vizer was in every way superior to any cellular technology that could likely be conceived in the foreseeable future, but it was limited by the fact that
it did not have a traditional telephone number. When calling someone, it was as simple as pulling up your contacts, or searching them out if it was public. All faculty and some staff had some form of publicly listed contact information for calling, whereas individual students needed to exchange it themselves. Due to Hobb being responsible for all communications via the Vizer, it was impossible to simply add someone without their consent.
Most students never questioned the complexity of the device they had become so dependent on, but for Peter it had become somewhat of a fascination. His Inquest gave him no new information about the device, which only caused his fervor to rise. Having much of the world’s information immediately available was something he had come to take for granted, so when his ability failed him, he took it quite personally.
What students did recognize, was the need to be comfortable shifting between multiple devices. When contacting anyone without a Vizer, it was still easiest to do so by phone. As such, most students still carried their phones with them, even though it was not necessary for life on campus.
Now switching back to his Vizer, he contacted Anaar, asking him to come over so they could continue discussing the mission they would be partaking in. He had invited Anaar over many times, preferring the comfort and privacy of his own lodgings to public spaces. Anaar also helped him quite often with tasks that proved very difficult for someone his size.
Though the school had done a particularly amazing job making his room more accessible, it still had its flaws, something that was strange to him since he grew up in a household full of others like himself. There were a number of movable and adjustable ladders in his room, which made the high shelves and counters bearable. He had a custom bed installed so there was no need to use the stool to climb into it, causing a safety hazard. Overall it just made life easier since when he was away from his room, he went back into dealing with a world not built for him.
Something that still bothered him was how Anaar never invited him over to his room. He had been to his other friends’ rooms before, so there was no need to think he was refraining for his benefit. It was yet another one of the many mysteries about the man he simply accepted. Rather than ask, he decided to wait until he was given an unsolicited invitation.
There was a knock on his door which made Peter jump. Checking his Vizer, he saw it had only been a little over five minutes since he had invited Anaar over. Opening the door, he peered up at the endearingly slovenly giant, befuddled at how he arrived so quickly. Even though Tempest Tower and the Infernal Twins were adjacent, relatively speaking, he still somehow arrived in a fifth of the time Peter expected. As usual, when asked, he was simply greeted by a shrug as he entered the room.
Peter extended his hand to one of the chairs, offering the large man a seat, then proceeded to stand awkwardly for a moment. Instead of Anaar breaking the silence, he simply sat, waiting patiently for his host to explain the summons. He had gone over what the mission was so he could not understand what more there would be to talk about. Realizing he had turned into a statue, Peter snapped back into reality and began speaking.
“My manners are so lacking! I just had my own, but I am always up for a good cup of tea. Would you like some?”
“No thanks. You know tea hasn’t really ever been my thing. So what has gotten you so worried about the mission? Honestly it seems like the easiest and simplest mission I have ever done. You just need to talk to some people.”
“I understand you have said that before but-” A furious knock at the door interrupts Peter’s statement.
“Expecting company?”
“Absolutely not! I have no idea who-” The knock resounds again, this time so hard it sounded as if it were going to break down the door.
“I think you might want to get that.”
Scurrying to the door, he opens it to find Shonte standing there with a look on her face that did not appear pleased. She seemed exceptionally made up, and her outfit was tighter than usual, hugging every curve she had as if it were skin. Her hair was in a new style he had never before seen, and her nails were painted, but functional, likely due to her fairly rough nature when it came to hitting people.
“I knew your ass was here! Actin’ like you can’t answer the fucking door!” She peers around him as she notices Anaar. “Oh haaayy Anaar! What you doing here?!”
The batting of her fake lashes and clear posturing was not lost on Peter. As the girl roughly pushes past him to do her best sultry walk in what he realized were a pair a sandal like heels, he sighs in exasperation as he closes the door. Making his way over to where they are sitting, he prepares himself to pry his friend off his mentor.
“Peter and I have a mission, he wanted to go over the details. What about you?”
“Yes Shonte, please enlighten us to your unplanned visit.”
“Don’t act like you are upset at getting to see all this!” She does a rubdown of herself, taking care to spin so her rear was facing Anaar rather than Peter.
Peter could not deny Shonte was a beautiful girl. Her duality of nature was something that always took him by surprise. Though she was all about hair, makeup and fashion, she was the first to dive into a fight, fists swinging. She was easily the powerhouse of their group, and that was without using her manifestation.
“Yes, you look quite lovely-”
“You damn right!”
“But that does not explain why you are here right now.”
“Oh! I was looking extra cute and I needed some good pics to show it off. You are the best photographer for me with how short you are so all this ass can be poppin’. You know it is all about them angles!”
Sighing heavily, “Let me confirm I understand the situation. You showed up unannounced and nearly broke down my door just for some photographs?!”
“Umm, Yes! I need to get these pics posted ASAP ‘cause I have been seeing people back home talking shit, saying I think I am so good for coming to this school, but really I was just lucky. Bay-bay! I gotta let these hos know they could neva! They got me all the way fucked up, so I need to make sure they know I’m didn’t just get in, I’m dominating shit around here!”
Peter looks to Anaar for any semblance of help, which to no surprise is met simply with a shrug and an aversion of his gaze.
“Shonte we are a bit busy here…”
“Y’all ain’t too busy to help Tay Tay show the world that she be twirling on all the haters!”
“We really are- Wait, did you just refer to yourself in the third person?”
“Peter just take the pictures already. I’m sure Shonte will be more than happy to allow us to get back to what we were doing after she has some shots she deems acceptable?”
Nodding emphatically to his posed question with a light caress of his face, “See! Why can’t you be like Anaar?!”
“Let him take the photos then!”
“Nope, he is way too tall, will fuck up all my angles. Just get to it!”
Seeing no way out of the situation without doing what she asked, he grumbles as he begrudgingly takes numerous photographs with her direction. Once she had enough that she was pleased with, she happily bounced around the room as Peter transferred them to her. Once he was done, she quickly left, leaving the two men alone again, with Anaar smirking with thinly veiled amusement.
“What do you find so funny?!”
“I thought my friends were crazy. Glad to know it seems to be evenly distributed. From the looks of it, I would surmise this does not happen often?”
“Well she does like me to take photos of her, but she has never just shown up out of the blue! Can we please just put this out of our minds? Back to this mission. If we are simply talking to someone, why are you coming with me? Better yet, what kind of mission is just talking to someone and why would I be needed for it?”
“Because you are a human lie detector. If your ability worked without being in physical proximity of someone, we would just have you listen in. It also seems that it works better if you are the
one asking the question, since in my tests I had someone tell a lie without you paying attention and it seemed to slip your notice.”
“When did you do that? Why didn’t you tell me you were experimenting on me?!”
“Aren’t I always experimenting on you?”
“There is something unfathomably wrong with that!”
Giving him a lazy shrug, “Don’t blame me you got saddled with a scientist for a mentor.”
“You make this seem like my fault!”
Giving him another shrug, Anaar refrains from responding as Peter fumes over his constant studying of him. When Peter realized he got everything he needed, he felt guilty for wasting Anaar’s time by making him come all the way to Tempest Tower for something very easily discussed over the phone. Somehow, he presumed there was some level of secrecy that was necessary and that only in-person communication was sufficient. To make up for it, he offers to go to dinner with Anaar, which he graciously declines as he already had plans with Phavian.
Since there was nothing else, Anaar went on his way, leaving Peter by himself. Peter found himself less than excited now that he truly understood their mission. Not only that, Anaar had been poking holes in his abilities without him knowing and just now decided to tell him when his hand was forced. Though he was worried about being in a dangerous situation, he could not deny his idea of a mission was just that. He went to bed that night sullen and deflated for the next day.
On their ride to their destination Peter found himself wondering why Anaar was with him at all. If there would be nothing dangerous about it, why did he need a chaperone. When he inquired about it, he found the response to be a surprising one.
“Use your ability.”
“Excuse me?”
“You asked me a question that could be answered with your ability. I just presumed you always checked it before asking. I know I would.”
Anaar’s words hit Peter much harder than he could have imagined. It was not because it seemed cold and dismissive, but more because it was evident Anaar understood his true intent. If he were genuinely seeking information, he would have of course started with his Inquest. Instead he asked a question in an attempt to air his grievances, which Anaar saw right through. Before he responded, he checked and found the answer was simple enough: It was his first mission.
Apotheosis (Song of Sophangence Book 3) Page 18