“How exactly were you able to prevent me from sensing you?”
“Oh! Yes, that is something else I forgot to tell you. Along with Yefferson’s powers, it seems the resonance of all four attunements activated a fifth, Life. Utilizing Life energies, I was able to essentially suppress my own I guess? The best example I can give is the special containers used to transport radioactive materials. Without them people would be subjected to radiation poisoning, but thanks to the shielding, it becomes safe to be around.”
“Life?! Truly?! If you would not mind, I would like to see it.”
“Bear in mind, I still have no clue how to use it. It has all been dumb luck up to this point. The only thing I can sorta use is the new Life attuned healing ability, and that is only because it keeps overwriting my normal healing. Are you sure you won’t fall over from the pressure?”
“I am willing to risk it for the sake of witnessing this miracle.”
“Alright… But you have been warned. I feel like I should make you sign a waiver or something for liability purposes…”
Yatik laughs heartily, and Anaar is happy the dank and gloomy atmosphere was giving way to something more enjoyable. Rather than dropping his barrier entirely, he had an idea. Uncovering just a small area of his left hand, he holds it up to her.”
“How is this? Too much?”
“No, not at all! This is quite bearable. I think I should be able to manage your entire hand with little trouble.”
Revealing the rest of his hand, Yatik stares at it in fascination. Moving closer to take hold of it, she marveled in the production that was the different elements moving in a harmonious concert. In fact, there was truly something melodic about it, as if they were different instruments in an orchestra. All pulsed happily in accordance to the score.
“I am amazed at how much control you have over your barriers. It is invisible to the naked eye. If not for my abilities I would have no idea it was there.”
“I am no stranger to barriers at least. Plus this isn’t exactly some heavy duty shield made to withstand Armageddon. It can be very thin and flexible while serving its purpose.”
“I am impressed! You must tell me more about this Life attunement.”
“I’ll have to get back to you on that one. Definitely a work in progress. The most I can tell you right now is I can now sense like… anything living. I also now have some understanding of its wellbeing. If I had to compare it to something, it is like being a doctor and having the chart on a patient. Except I failed med school because I have no clue what most of the stuff I am seeing means.”
They both laughed at his explanation, further creating a joyous atmosphere. Yatik asked Anaar if he would like to stay for a late lunch, but he declined since he had band practice. Saying his goodbyes, he turned to leave. Just before he opened his portal he remembered to exchange contact information with her, also giving her his mother’s current information, urging her to reach out. With a promise made, Anaar stepped through to portal to his room. As it closed, she could see Anaar grabbing a handsome young man by the collar, dragging him away from the closing portal as he waved into it.
7
“You would rather hang out with Dan than spend time with me!”
“Dan is like my second-best friend, even though-”
“Yeah yeah, we all know there can only be one best.”
Anaar turns from Phavian in a huff as he continues changing his clothes. “I was going to say even though you and he are in a close running. He is now clearly winning. I said second best by the way, meaning the position after the best. Pay attention.”
“None of that changes the fact we never see each other anymore! You are always running to band practice, or training with Seles, or any other number random of things! At least we used to always have the nighttime to ourselves, but you refuse to stay with me now!”
“It is for my sanity and your safety. It isn’t my fault you snore so badly.”
“I don’t like being punished because you can’t control your powers.”
“And I would rather get a good night’s sleep in the company of my boyfriend. It seems we both lose out.”
“We aren’t even having sex! There is no excuse for that one!”
“I shattered four of your bones last time…”
Phavian folds his arms across his chest defiantly, “I told you I don’t mind it being a little rough, it’s kinda hot.”
“Rough is some light choking, maybe some spanking. Shattering bones is just abuse, even if it is accidental. That has to hurt! Why are you begging for it? Are you suddenly some super masochist?”
“You fix me right up so it is fine. Your healing now is so fast I barely notice something has happened.”
“You bled all over my sheets.”
“Which Harston got out!”
Sighing in frustration, “No, he didn’t. He simply bought new ones.”
“I fail to see the difference…”
Anaar steps into the bathroom and returns with a bottle. He tosses it to Phavian as a portal opens. “Knock yourself out.”
The portal closes and Anaar is nowhere to be seen. Phavian looks down at the bottle of lubricant in his hand and fumes. “What an ass! I’m going to get blueballs thanks to him! He just jets off in his portals, yet he is stingy when it comes to using them for other people!”
Phavian looks around the room and then back down to the bottle in his hand. “Hobb, how interactive can you make the holoprojections with this system?!”
Anaar steps out of the portal nearby Dan’s townhouse. Ever since his powers had grown, he was now able to tell if people were in the area when he was creating a portal which made their use much easier to keep secret. Though he still often went about travel the normal way, he could not deny he had grown quite fond of life as a Transporter. He wondered if he could force the manifestation of Teleportation as well, as it would be much more useful when he was by himself.
Because Teleportation was much rarer and considered less useful than portals, he had never come in contact with someone who wielded it. He made a mental note to seek out someone with it to train in its use. He knocked on the door a few times, Dan opening the door after what felt like an eternity of waiting. Anaar peeked around him into the room as he noticed it in disarray.
“You going to let me in?”
Dan blushes a bit and shuffles to the side with a goofy step. “My bad. Jest standin’ here mouth all open, lettin’ flies in.”
Anaar steps inside, Dan closing the door behind him. When Anaar moves to take a seat, he realizes just how messy the room really is.
“Dan, how do you yet live with your room looking like this? Wouldn’t Maggie have beaten you a million times over by now before it got to this state?”
“Man, she ain’t been over since that time I fucked up her place. She said I gots way too much paper in my room in case it happen again.” Dan’s eyes narrow and they pierce Anaar. “And what da fuck done got inta you?! You makin’ bein’ a good man real fuckin’ hard ya know!”
Anaar peers at Dan with complete confusion. “I don’t sanction the beatings! I simply support them! I find them highly effective at correcting your partners behavior-”
“Ain’t nobody talkin’ bout dat!”
Anaar chuckles nervously, “Oh… You heard nothing then. So what are we talking about?”
“How you gone go give Mags a new bow for her birthday?! You know she been wantin’ dem shits for a long time now! What am I supposed to give her now?!”
Looking at Dan with a deadpan expression, “Umm… Were you planning on buying her a new bow?”
“Hell naw! You know I’m broke!”
“Then get her whatever you planned on in the first place. How is my gift ruining yours if it isn’t what you were going to give her anyway?”
“Cause dats a high ass bar man! You done gave her exactly what she want! Ain’t no way nothin’ I give her gone top dat! All she do now is talk about her bow! How much better it be. How i
t be lighter and smaller when all closed up, but way stronger! I’m so tired of hearin’ bout them shits!”
Anaar laughs with a rumbling boom, slapping his leg as he doubled over. “Sorry? I mean, I just knew she really wanted it, and I had the means so… Wait, did you call me all the way over here just to complain about her birthday present?!”
“Naw, but I be damn if I ain’t gone give you least half da earful I get bout that damn bow. I need ya help. I know ya prolly, thinkin’ dat shit ain’t nothin’ new, but it for real is dis time.”
Anaar straightens his back, curious what Dan could want that he felt the need to ask so formally. “I’m listening.”
“Well, you know bout what’s goin’ on wit Hekiah and all. I’m suppose to be here helpin’ him out, but I still ain’t made no money.”
“Oh! That’s all? You just need some money?! Why didn’t you say that earlier?! How much do you need? How is he doing? Adjusting to life with your aunt?”
“Now you hold on jest a damn minute. I ain’t no damn bum lookin’ for no handout ya hear. I can make my own money, I need a lil’ help gettin’ the job though. He doin’ real good by the way. Just need more money for stuff. Wit my deddy still locked up, ain’t no money comin’ in to help.”
“Ok, well what do you want me to do? I mean, I don’t have to give you the money. It can be a loan or something.”
“Naw cause we all know how you gone be. You say it be a loan, and end up findin’ a way so I ain’t never gotta pay it back. I want you to help me go on some missions. They pay good money right?”
“Correction, they can pay good money. The pay obviously scales with difficulty. To be honest though, I haven’t been on any missions in a while. My last one was with Peter, and that was months ago. I have never requested a mission, I have only been requested, so I’m not exactly sure how it works. I think I’m maybe off the active duty list or something.”
Dan’s face contorts into some mix of a frown and an expression made when smelling something unpleasant. “What I do then?!”
“Calm down, it will be fine. I’m sure if we talk to Ixnes she can get you fast tracked or something.”
Dan gulps as he chuckles nervously. “We?”
Raising his eyebrow, “Did I stutter? Did you think I would send you alone?”
“Hell naw! I thought you was gonna talk to her for me!”
“Dan, if you can’t handle a little conversation with Ixnes, how do you plan on handling dangerous missions?”
“Man… it’s the Headmistress though man…”
“Grow some balls Dan. It is this or I give you the money. One way or another Hekiah is going to get the funds he needs.”
“Why you gotta be all forceful and shit… Make me feel like I’m talkin’ to Mags…”
Anaar made clear the conversation was over as he stood to leave. He waited for Dan to put on his shoes so they could make the trip to Ixnes’ office. It was quite helpful Ixnes was so easy to track. If he believed there were any others able to track her in such a fashion, he would have advised her to look into some way to conceal herself. Luckily, she had stayed put during their transit. It would have annoyed Anaar to no end if they had to change course midway through. They arrived at her office just after what seemed to be a lengthy meeting.
By this point, it had long been established Anaar required no formal arrangements to have an audience with Ixnes, which allowed him to bypass the front desk without being stopped. Though Dan had no prior experience with the Administration Building, he was smart enough to recognize when he was being treated as someone special. He followed Anaar wordlessly, his eyes never leaving the floor as he searched endlessly for some imaginary object.
Once they had arrived in Ixnes’ office, Anaar pointed to a chair, Dan picking up on the message to take his seat. Anaar closed the doors behind them, then proceeded to take his own seat. Ixnes had not even bothered to look up, still busying herself with whatever it was she was doing before they had arrived. Dan sat in a tense silence, his hands growing clammier with each passing second.
Unsure if it was safe to look, he dared to steal a quick glance at Anaar, finding him completely comfortable, a slight smile on his face as he stared out into space. He could never have known that whilst he contended with his rising anxiety, Anaar was having a silly spat with Hobb. It took everything in him to keep from yelping when Ixnes suddenly spoke.
“What delightful little slice of hell have you to offer me today child? More broken fixtures? Battery upon our instructors? Some other incident that has given way to cataclysm? I can only be thankful that you have brought Mr. Bedacholli with you. I am given some semblance of relief as you would never put those you hold dear in undue danger. That is if you can help it.”
Dan was not quite sure what the Headmistress was speaking of, but he at least was happy to hear Anaar treasured him enough for the Headmistress herself to acknowledge it. He knew Anaar had been having some struggles controlling himself ever since he returned, but listening to the Headmistress, he may have been completely misunderstanding the scale of his issues. He noticed Anaar wore a sour expression, though it was more akin to one a child might wear when their misdeeds were brought to light and they were being scolded.
“I told you I am working on all of that! It has been a whole week without me breaking anything! Can’t we celebrate the small victories?”
Ixnes pierced Anaar with a steely gaze, causing him to sigh in defeat before continuing. “You still have yet to explain what brings you to see me at my office with Mr. Bedacholli in tow. You never visit me here.”
“I know, but since this was more official school business, I thought I might at least pretend to observe school decorum. Dan needs to be greenlit for missions. I know he hasn’t been through the training-”
“Done. I place him under your care. It is your responsibility to expedite his training so that he may assume responsibilities as soon as possible.”
Anaar looks startled, glancing from Dan back to Ixnes. “My training was more on the job… I didn’t expect-”
Ixnes focuses her attention upon Dan, her eyes emitting a warmness that could soothe any troubled soul. “Mr. Bedacholli, I have heard about the situation with your sibling. Absolutely dreadful if I may say so. Rest assured your father will still have employment should he be released soon, albeit in a drastically reduced capacity. I have taken the liberty to set up garnishment of his wages so there is to be no conflict with him providing financial support. I applaud your strength of character in holding firm, keeping the bigger picture and greater outcome in sight.”
Dan could not help but tear up at the words he heard. One of the things that had been troubling him the most was the vacuum that was left by his father’s imprisonment. He was certain that even if his father were released, there would be no way for him to contribute, leaving everything up to him to provide. With the arrangement the Headmistress had made, it guaranteed his father’s security and allowed him a small amount of additional space to breathe.
Despite all he had been through and the things his father had done, Dan did not hate the man. Perhaps it was his memories of a time when his father was not the shell that he would come to be that prevented him from wishing ill upon him. Dan knew that stronger men had succumbed to less, so he could not inherently fault his father for the way he turned out. It did not however change the disdain he held for Hekiah’s treatment. Those two feelings were mutually exclusive, and when put in opposition, Hekiah’s wellbeing would win every time.
With trembling lips, he offered up his thanks to the Headmistress for her initiative and her kindness. “Thank you, ma’am. You have done more for me than I right deserve. I can’t take credit for being strong. If not for Maggie I wouldn’t be sitting here before you now.”
“Indeed. They say behind every strong man is a strong woman. Behind every strong woman are the piles of men she had to climb over just to prove her worth. Give my regards to Ms. Osorio for her resolve.”
Dan
nods in affirmation, while Anaar smiles at the exchange between the two. Ixnes turns her attention back to a stack of documents on her desk. After a minute or so of awkward silence, her eyes cut away from her work, staring daggers into Anaar.
“What are you still doing here? Do you not have a wealth of training to be done?”
Anaar jerks his head in her direction. “Wait, you want me to start right now?!”
“When else would your start?! Perhaps Mr. Bedacholli would like to wait a few summers before he can support his brother? If he fails to reach basic standards by his first mission, the responsibility will fall completely upon you. You will also be expected to complete it for him.”
“You mean he isn’t going to get to choose?!” Grumbling to himself, “I thought it was just me who had to deal with that…”
“Of course he will be allowed to choose, in the future that is. For now, I will make sure he is getting a steady flow of work I think will be suited to his skillset. You may take your leave.”
The two men make a hasty retreat, stopping for a moment in front of the Administration Building. “What we gone do now?”
“What else? We are putting you through bootcamp!”
“Is dis what you did?”
“Not at all. I just kinda got pushed into some shit and told to make it work.”
“Dat mean you ain’t got no clue how to do no trainin’…”
“Hey! I have a working hypothesis… Also, who else could cater your training specifically to you?!”
Dan groans as he hangs his head, refusing to look at the smirking Anaar. “What we gotta do then…?”
“You have enough paper?”
“For what?”
“Sounds like a no. Head home and grab your best arsenal of paper. Head to the CCN and message me when you are there.”
“Awlright. What you gonna be doin?”
“Prep work. Oh, have you been shot yet?”
“Yet? What kinda shit is dat?!”
Revelations (Song of Sophangence Book 4) Page 10