By the end of the second week that they had been going
through Phoenix’s unusual lifestyle. Lucille found what seemed to be her
problem in general: she was too un-mainstream to keep up.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t follow through what was being
discussed, or that she couldn’t understand anything. It was just that she
accepts it rather differently compared to how a normal student would. It wasn’t
that she contest things being discussed, or that she passes on a different
message when asked. It was just that she refuses to apply some philosophies,
and proactively inserts her own viewpoint subjected to certain disclaimers. It
wasn’t that she’s being forced on being a mage based on her potential, it was
that fact that she was forcing herself to be recognized.
It was during these times that Phoenix’s hostility towards
Lucille had been reduced, and she was already beginning to open up in regards
to her viewpoints, thoughts, and questions. Though, Lucille, being as stoic as
he had always been, never really engage that much and often the conversations
cut short if not Phoenix just blabbing her heart away.
“I have never had someone to listen to me
before.”
“Why is that?”
She looked at Lucille like he was insane. It was one of those
rare moments that Lucille was actually responding to her issues.
“Well,” she said, weighing her words
carefully, “people just steer clear of me most of the time because of…”
There was that long silence that Lucille looked up from what
he had been writing. He found Phoenix staring at him incredulously as if she
never found any one like him all her life.
“What?”
“You
have never heard of anything? Aren’t you curious?”
“I’ve
heard a lot of things.” He went back to finishing up what he was writing. “And
rumors doesn’t actually tell you that much… Here, I’ve simplified those
discussions for you.”
Her incredulous stare didn’t flinch as she took the notes
from him. She was staring so much that he knew he had to answer at least some
of her unasked questions or even show interest on what she does.
He sighed, “There is one question that I wanted to ask.”
She nodded him to continue, red eyes still gazing with that
expression. He watched as that face contorted into something else. Disbelief.
Surprise. Back to Hostility.
“What did you do to that demon from the
exercise?”
It took a moment before she answered. It was as if she had
been denying that fact that he had been there to witness whatever happened that
day. Truth be told, she had already forgotten that that actually happened just
because he wasn’t altogether bringing it up.
It was a good reminder.
“I… let it go.”
He raised an eyebrow to her response but did not press on
further.
“Look,” she continued on as he said
nothing, “I did exactly as I told her, I let her go.”
“Her?”
“Yeah, it’s a she.”
“How did you know?”
She looked away. Lucille knew that she wasn’t going to answer
that one. It seemed as if she already took a lot of risk answering just that
question. Had Lucille been impatient on her answers, he showed nothing. He
still projected that uninterested façade that Phoenix’s doubts and hostility
was becoming a bit inconsistent.
. . . . .
Her next monthly assessment was coming in by next week. By
that time, she would be by her 6th month in the academy. It would
depend on that assessment on what would be the course of her schedules.
Lucille’s assessment actually falls on the same week, and at this point, most
of the masters were already aware of the unusual team-up between the unlikely
pair: one who can’t be bothered, and one who always bothers.
The master assigned to Phoenix summoned them the day before
Phoenix’s assessment.
“We’re looking towards a great
improvement. Aren’t you happy, Phoenix?”
“Does he
have to listen to the progress track discussion?”
“He’s… helping out, Phoenix, he has to
hear what I have to say. Are you a bit uncomfortable with him being here?”
The master was raising an eyebrow in confusion, he was under
the impression that the transcendence and Phoenix were in better terms already
given the time that they spent together. The master glanced at Lucille who was
keeping a passive face and was looking at him.
Lucille kept on his mask remembering their conversation
moments before they were summoned. Phoenix was in one of her hostile moods that
she was asking a bunch of questions which Lucille was sarcastically answering
with a nod or shrug. She lost her patience and actually walked out of the room
just when the master’s servant was about to call upon them for the ‘summon’.
“I could get out if it makes you both comfortable.”
“Please stay and listen in, Lucille, I am
going to say this once.” He sighed before continuing on, “Whatever assessment
would be given to Phoenix would also affect your own. Were you aware that it
would also happen?”
“Yes. Though, it didn’t really matter. My
assessment doesn’t seem to have any difference for the past few months.”
The master looked thoughtful for a moment, then made a
signal. As if on cue, his servant enters the room.
“Please
escort Phoenix to Master Reis.”
“Excuse me?”
“Master Reis would like to speak with
you.”
“Now?”
“Yes. We
would be waiting here, please be mindful of the time.”
Phoenix looked from the master to Lucille, then nodded. She
followed the servant of the room.
“And she
has to be called appropriately at the right moment,” the master snorted.
“Sir?”
The master looked at him, Lucille then realized that the last
bit was a mutter barely inaudible. Lucille cleared his throat.
The master continued on, “Yes, as I was saying earlier. Your
results would be affected if the masters found that she had improved from the
month before,” he prodded on a bunch of papers in his desk, “these were the
comments that the other masters had for various classes and it seemed that your
intervention had altered her behavior in classes.”
“Did she
now?”
“It was
quite surprising. She was normally… well, unusual,
in her own ways if not totally invisible. Even her practical exams were
uneventful, and her detention count seemed to have decreased dramatically.”
“She
probably just needed to have an outlet to some conflicts. I haven’t really done
anything different.”
The master looked thoughtful for the second time, “Probably.”
“Is
something wrong, sir?”
“Yes… no,” he made some gestures again,
and the servant entered the room once more. “You are being summoned by Master
Reis himself,”
Who?
The masters sure had unusual ways communicating with each
other. He politely bowed, and stood to follow the waiting servant.
“Lucille.”
He turned to look at the master who looked like he swallowed
something nasty, he was looking at something from his fingertips as he was
giving a sort of a last reminder “Master
Reis is of the specialized classes, try not to say anything foolish.”
That explains a lot of things.
---------------------------------------------------------
Fourth.
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