“So um… Anaar. How did you and Phavian get together and how did you become so interested in Attunement Theory?”
Those are two completely disparate topics!
Phavian jumps in, eager to tell the story. “It was love at first sight-”
“For whom? You? I suppose it was. I clearly remember finding you annoying and obnoxious. As for my work with attunements, let’s just say I have a vested interest in them as it just comes naturally.”
Phavian is shocked by the twist of his story, sitting with pursed lips as he stared angrily at Anaar. Not understanding why he was even a focal point of the conversation on a date he did not want to be on, Anaar did his best to shift it to the place he believed it belonged.
“You should not worry about me though, instead you should be more interested in what made Peter ask you out. It is an interesting story. Right, Peter?”
Peter chokes on the water he was drinking, turning a vibrant shade of red. After sputtering for a moment, he places the glass back on the table and looks at Anaar with a sour look. Turning his flushed face to Genevieve, he nervously adjusts his collar.
“Well you see… Oh bollocks, there is no use hiding it. Leo and Wu put me up to it. If I had not been forced under threat of harm, I would have never had the courage to do it. I’m sorry.”
To his surprise, Genevieve shakes her head, the stringy strawberry blonde strands on her head messily fluttering about. “I figured as much. It all seemed very bold of you.”
“So you aren’t mad?”
“Not at all. That is what I like about you Peter. You are sweet and one of the least domineering men I know. If you had been aggressive in your approach, I think I would have been scared away. I don’t know how to deal with that kind of energy.”
Phavian looks to Anaar confused at what he is hearing. As he is about to open his mouth to ask follow-up questions, Anaar squeezes his thigh, making it clear they were not to bother the two in the exchange. With the new faces on campus, witnessing such an exchange made him realize just how little he knew about the new class, even though he had a mentee in it. Placing the thought to the side, Anaar continued listening to the exchange between the two of them.
“Are you sure? I get so worried I would not be able to protect you if something happened. When I think of that, it makes me want to close myself off as to never be in such a position where someone needed me.”
Do all men think like this? Phavian is the same way! Is something wrong with me then?
“I believe you never had these thoughts because the chasm of power between you and others never afforded you the opportunity to worry about your strength. It has always been obvious you would emerge victorious.”
Is it really that simple? It seems rather pompous to block out those thoughts completely because I inherently know there are few people who pose a threat to me. I suppose it is in the past tense now since I seriously doubt there is anyone who can contend with me after my changes.
Peter and Genevieve continued to talk to one another, seemingly oblivious to the presence of Phavian and Anaar. Phavian seemed perturbed for some reason that they were not paying them any attention, but Anaar had to remind him that their connection was the entire purpose of the date, so if that went well, nothing else mattered. Phavian grumbled in annoyance, but accepted it. To make up for the lack of attention, he instead began to pester Anaar instead.
Finally the food began arriving and everyone at the table was beyond impressed. They had all ordered the restaurant’s specialty which showcased their mastery of a variety of cuisines. The quartet were floored by how well the different dishes ended up complimenting the one prior to it, even if they were different styles of food.
Now with the food being the centerpiece, Peter and Genevieve were once again receptive to conversation from Phavian, which made him happy since Anaar was primarily ignoring him. By the end of their meal, Peter and Genevieve were completely stuffed, while both Phavian and Anaar knew they would be eating more when they returned home. Despite the small portions, they both thoroughly enjoyed the food, with Anaar even agreeing to return soon. When the bill came, Peter was the first to reach for it in a display of his wealth. He also wanted to show his appreciation for everything Phavian and Anaar had done. It was only when he opened it that he regretted his actions.
For a moment he was paralyzed as his mind tried to comprehend what he was looking at. Finally, after his stasis, he hastily grabs for the glass of water on the table, slightly sputtering as he gulped it down. Doing his best to keep his emotions even, he gazed nervously to Phavian.
“I… was not expecting the bill to be so… weighty…”
Phavian reaches over and grabs the bill to look it over. “Oh damn, it was seven grand per meal? The things you wish they posted on the website…”
In a breathy rush, Peter’s frantic emotions overtake him. “I do not have enough for myself, let alone both myself and Genevieve! They are going to make us wash dishes! No, it is going to be far worse! Just some light cleaning is not enough to cover this bill! We are going to jail!”
Phavian raises a placating hand to calm Peter, failing to notice Genevieve, though wordless, looked to be in a similar state of distress. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it for right now, and we can work out some way for you to make it up to me later. I suppose it is my fault for not investigating just how much this would set us back.”
Peter’s face very noticeably releases its tension, and Genevieve clasps his hand in a sign of relief. Phavian reaches into his pockets, nervously looking around when he cannot find what he is looking for. After a few more frantic pats, he chuckles slightly as he pulls at one of his coils.
“It looks like I left my wallet in my other pants… I knew I shouldn’t have changed at the last minute…”
In Phavian’s guilty gestures, he inadvertently signaled the waiter who smoothly glides over to retrieve the bill. When he opens it to find there is nothing inside, with practiced poise he smiles and looks around the table.
“Was there something else I could get for you this evening?”
Everyone looks around at one another nervously, not sure of what they would say to get out of their predicament.
“You’ve got to be shitting me…”
Everyone’s heads snap to Anaar as he reaches into his pocket to retrieve his wallet. Pulling the untraceable black card from it, he hands it to the waiter who bows, then quickly disappears. When he is gone, the three others exhale the massive breaths they had been holding. Peter begins to thank Anaar, but a barbed look quickly stops him in his tracks. Phavian then leans over to grab his thigh, but a much nastier look freezes him in place.
“You touch me, and you are pulling back a stump.”
Peter and Genevieve gulp audibly, with Phavian slowly creeping his hand back toward his lap. The waiter returns with the check for Anaar to sign, and after he was finished with it, Anaar immediately stood to take his leave. Not sure what would happen if they tarried, everyone else quickly did the same, Peter being in such a rush he even forgot the booster seat he had been sitting in all night.
The drive back to campus was a silent one, the lot finding it prudent to not do anything that could even be misconstrued as antagonistic. Anaar dropped everyone off without a word, then sped off to return the car to Ixnes. As the three stood there watching the car’s lights fade into the distance, Peter turned to Phavian, grabbing his hand to shake it.
“Thank you very much good sir. I suppose I will get with Anaar about how to settle that bill. I appreciate your service for whatever misfortune awaits you when he returns home.”
Phavian looks to Peter in horror upon hearing the words. “Why? Why would you do that?! Why couldn’t you just let me pretend everything was going to be fine?! Now I’m going to be wound up all night…”
Peter ducked his head sheepishly, but knew better than to offer up anything resembling assistance. He was well aware of his capabilities, and he knew facing off with Anaar could on
ly end with catastrophic results even under the best of conditions for him. Grasping Genevieve’s hand, he smiles and pulls her along before Phavian tries to enlist his aid. Phavian shouts after the pair scuttling away in distress.
“Hey! Hey!!”
Unfortunately, he had not been paying attention and they were already too far gone. His head drooped which gave him the appearance he was asleep whilst standing. With a heavy exhale he raised his head and began to trudge sullenly back to the Ebony Twin.
“I’m completely fucked.”
14
Viewership of the Mid-Year Melee had risen dramatically with the introduction of Hobb’s model to the campus. Usually, any Melee other than the Freshmen’s would only get mediocre viewership, and very little buzz. Now the campus had been buzzing for two days in anticipation for the event. Everyone loved the witty and charismatic Hobb, who did a much better job explaining things than they ever could. Most people agreed that the commentary was the touch that was sorely missing to make the event truly feel like a sporting event.
Dan trudged along, far more cautious than he had been in his previous Melee. At that time, he was very inexperienced, and had downplayed his own capabilities. Now knowing more about what he would be facing, he put the skills he had been learning with Anaar to prepare him for missions to good use. Even still, it did not prevent him from wondering what was being said about him by Hobb.
For the second year running he had been started in the Desert zone. Fortunately for him, due to the overcast sky, the technology that allowed that section of the dome over the school to focus the sun’s rays to artificially create the sweltering environment was not able to function properly. Something felt odd to him about the sandy landscape, but frigid temperatures. He had learned it was cold in deserts at night, but he still could not imagine it.
Continuing on, he comes across tracks in the sand, something he would have missed in his past Melee. It then occurred to him that he was leaving his own trail, a mistake that could lead an opponent directly to him. He thought about taking measures to prevent the trail moving forward, but something excited him about the thought of an eager adversary following him and trying to gain the element of surprise. It was with this thought he decided to follow the tracks he had found, all while deliberately making his own.
Quickening his pace, it did not take him long to find the person he was looking for. The girl did not appear to be much of a threat, but Dan vaguely remembered her being a Juggernaut. She was only in their combat class the first Trimester, but what he was certain of was how deadly she was, despite her unassuming looks. Though he wanted to have a fair fight with her to test his abilities, one of the things Anaar had been incessantly drilling into his head with their training was that only fools waste opportunities, no matter how small.
Conflicted, he grumbled to himself and did what he knew was right. With a barely perceptible flick of his wrist, a full deck of cards shot forth, speeding toward the still unaware woman. Before she could fully understand what was happening, she was set upon by the swarm of cards, slicing her in every possible place as if they were angry bees protecting their nest. Having little in the way of defense, she fell to the ground, screaming in agony as she began to bleed out.
Dan recalled his cards, spinning them rapidly as they returned so that any blood on them would clear itself before he stored them. He had never been in a situation where he had so soundly defeated someone that they never had a chance to react, or even see it coming. He now understood why Anaar waited for the Medic team to arrive before leaving his defeated enemy. Mimicking his show of respect, Dan stood solemnly until the team arrived to treat and recover the girl. Once she was safely in their hands, he gave himself a congratulatory pat on the back and continued his journey.
◆◆◆
Parked atop a high tree branch, Anaar sat dozing slightly as his long powerful legs swung childishly as they hung from the branch. He had been in the same position for some time now, choosing not to move far from his starting location. Though he was not upset he was spared being started in the Caverns again, it would have at least given him something to do as he made his trek out of the cave system.
Hobb, I’m bored. Bring up the feeds of what is going on.
“I thought you were against my use during the Melees. Particularly one that would give such an unfair advantage.”
Yeah, that was when I thought it might actually make a difference. Before, I thought that communicating with you would give me additional insight into the state of the Melee, or others’ whereabouts. Now, I can easily sense everyone, so it isn’t like this is going to be giving away their location.
“I find no flaws in your logic. Very well I shall proceed.”
Anaar watches the activities of the Melee on his overlay all whilst humming merrily to himself. Despite the Melee being close upon them, Stefani had made it clear she cared not how it happened, but she wanted a catchy new original song for the group. Though it was not exactly his wheelhouse, he had decided to give it a try himself.
Good commentating Hobb. It is so weird seeing this when I’m actually invested in it. Rooting for people is kinda cool considering I have a good understanding of what they can do. Some of these upsets are pretty staggering though. Is it me, or are the rankings shifting quite dramatically?
“An astute observation. It would appear a number of the higher ranked students are already being eliminated, which creates an odd dynamic in the ranking system. Data suggests there should be very little fluctuations in the standings.”
Oh look! Dan just got someone! I’m so glad he didn’t do that thing where he charges in with a battle cry. Teaching him about stealth and terrain advantages has been such a chore.
“Well at least someone is charging…”
Hey! What is that supposed to mean?!
Hobb appears directly in his vison this time, perfectly styled in his best commentating outfit, rather than just on a feed. “Thus far you have done nothing but laze about rather than advancing. At this rate you just may find your own ranking skewed.”
Anaar’s face falls flat as he stops his humming and looks Hobb in the eyes.
Really? Are we just going to pretend I’m not the most powerful being on the planet? Even if I did that, it won’t suddenly change it to not be true. What do you want me to do? Zip around dispatching everyone in an instant? Where is the fun in that for everyone? Plus, you said viewership has seen a massive spike. Do you really want me ruining your hard work by ending things so quickly?
Hobb’s face distorts for a moment, but quickly returns to normal from his grumble. “I once again find no flaws in your logic. I appreciate your consideration.”
Don’t mention it. It is partially selfish anyway. It would be no fun for me doing it either, so I’d rather just hang back and see how things play out. If nothing else, I get data-
In mid-sentence his hand reaches for his chest and with barely audible ‘twip,’ a dagger flies at a blinding speed into the distance. 200 meters away a man finds something amiss, and suddenly falls to the ground, the horrifying pain in his chest almost more than his mind can bear. The dagger had bored completely through his chest to come out the other side, leaving a hole in his body. The precisely thrown dagger passed through the perfect spot where no vital organs, nor vertebrae were hit. After a few moments, Anaar noticed a medical team had not arrived.
Ummm, are you not going to send someone to clean him up?
“He is not registering as critical in my systems. He may very well surprise you.”
He is a visual and tactile Synestate with a gaping hole in his chest. He isn’t going to just regenerate. You don’t call that critical?
“Perhaps I was mistaken in my-”
Another dagger zooms in the prone man’s direction, piercing through his back, tearing through one of his kidneys and pinning him to the ground. With a groan and a slight gurgling noise, he immediately passes out on the ground and more blood begins to soak the earth.
&nb
sp; How about now?
A portal opens as Hobb looks at Anaar with an annoyed face.
“That was unnecessary. I was just about to tell you that I was going to dispatch a unit to be safe. Now things will be quite messy.”
Anaar shrugs as the team does their best to remove the man who is stuck fast to the ground. They are finally able to extricate him, which only undoes some of the emergency aid he had been rendered, which caused the Medic to stomp her foot in frustration. She looks around for some sign of who might have caused the incident, but she can find no one. Loading the man on the stretcher, they exit through a portal, leaving only the dirt soaked in blood, and the daggers to testify to what had happened.
“Are you not going to recover your weapons?”
Huh? What? Oh those?! Those are just some crude imitations of my daggers I made up on the fly. Credit to the craftsman on these things. The ratio of the alloy is nothing short of miraculous. Even I can’t just slap one of those together in an instant.
“If you are going to simply create new daggers every time, why carry around the bandolier? It is completely nonsensical and inefficient.”
Technically you are right, except for the part where no one knows I’m an Earth Affinity now. If I didn’t have these strapped to me, people would be wondering where I am getting them from. Plus they are kinda like a necklace or something. I just put them on out of habit.
Anaar returns back to his joyful humming, chiding himself when he failed to get a note correct, or found what he was crafting to be inadequate. With the screens on his overlay still playing, he continued his task of composing whilst watching his own Melee. Noticing something interesting that drew his attention, he put his composing to the side for a moment to fully tune in to the action.
Revelations (Song of Sophangence Book 4) Page 22