Beyond the Border: In the Flesh

If he knew that asking about her was the easiest thing to do just so he could meet her, he could have done it the first chance that he could take.

It turned out that the master that confirmed on her being in detention most of the times, was a bit concerned about her… welfare. They talked for a bit after that encounter, and he found that he was the mage responsible for her education. Her and hers alone contrary to the usual procedure.

“What can I say, she’s a special case. Very curious that child is.”

He sent for Lucille the day after. He agreed on overseeing that novice, as it may also aid in his transcendence studies. When he entered the room, there was an inaudible gasp not enough to catch the attention of the master who had his back turned from her, but had been enough to confirm that she recognized him from the joint exercise.

“Please have a seat, Lucille.”

He took a seat opposite hers. She was almost squirming in her seat, where he could tell that she was just sitting on an inch or two of space. Her hands were clasped on her lap, feet tucked almost under the chair itself. He felt himself ease within the awkward confines of the room, and he drew a quick breath before settling to look at her face.

There were subtle changes from her expression from the continuing minutes that he was on the room, not saying anything related to what happened from that time. From the fearful expression that she had before he left, the alarmed and panicked face that welcomed him from this room, to the confused expression that seemed to ask him several questions at once.

He nodded to acknowledge her but kept his expression as bland as possible as not to invite anything from his response. He settled on the fine unusual features on his face before she could incite further queries – something that he should be doing in the first place.

“I’d like you to meet, one of the most talented transcendence in the academy,” the master was addressing the novice. She tore away from her scrutiny to the master, “He had obliged in overseeing your studies, and… provide aid in any way possible.”

Her confused face contorted simultaneously as she let his words sink in. She turned to face the master.

She spoke in response, voice unnaturally too steady, “You want him to… supervise my…” she kept her tone as passive as she could but her last word, took off incredulously, “studies?”

“Lucille had done us a favor that would keep others from minding your business,” The master refused to acknowledge her apparent distaste while scratching his chin thoughtfully, “I really wondered why they spent a lot of times over your affairs. It’s disarming.”

                “Is… is this matter known to Master Reis, yet?”

                “I have his permission to do my affairs as my job entails. Now do you have any other details that you may wish to discuss?”

She winced slightly from his response and decided not to push it any further. He shrugged and turned to the transcendence who had been listening towards the exchange.

The master smiled, a bit darkly to Lucille’s taste, “Good, Lucille, this is Phoenix from the Novice class. We are looking towards working with you until then.”

“A pleasure,” he extended a hand to the novice named Phoenix.

. . . . .

“This is going to be our arrangement starting tomorrow. The master had given me your schedules and assessment results, so I’ve had an idea on what we’ll be looking at.”

He handed her another sheet of paper.

“This is my class schedule, just so you would know where to look for me in case.”

They were walking away from the master’s study. Phoenix was on her way to her next class, and he was going the other way to the libraries and training grounds for his free time. He handed her another stack of papers. She took him in askance, he knew that it wasn’t just to ask what those papers were – it was for a lot of things that he chose to ignore. For now.

“Those were study guides for your classes. Read through them, review then we’ll talk about them for later.”

“Why are you doing this?”

He smiled. “I could say the same to you.”

She opened her mouth to say something when he turned away, he heard a hiss coming from her. He was pretty sure she said, “Jerk” pertaining to either is attitude or him in general.

She sure knows how to spice up anyone’s day.

. . . . .

Their schedule for the catch-up was every day at lunch, the evenings after dinner, the whole weekend, and anytime a class was cancelled or provided as a free study period. As the transcendence schedule was that flexible and that Lucille had an excuse this time – he could easily be pardoned from the changes in Phoenix’s schedule.

Their first catch-up was a revelation.

Where Lucille was all too willing to ‘oversee’ things that involve Phoenix’s study. She was entirely too hostile to his questions and advances.

She was all too sensitive for her sake.

“Why are you doing this?”

“I don’t think it matters. Do you?”

She hesitated.

“What do you know about me?” she finally said.

He knew that she was going to head towards that direction sooner or later. But he chose to delay it yet again. He answered rather bored, and uninterested that Phoenix became unsure what his real intentions were. He answered all those rumors that she already knew about in addition to what the master had introduced her to be.

She didn’t venture to that question again. Instead she reverted on what seems as her usual way of doing things: a bit sloppy, all too uninterested, and a bit stupid – if anyone asked Lucille of any analysis. It seemed to him that he saw a threatened spy at the beginning reduced to rebellious kid just masking her own intent with what she projects.

By the end of the first session, she had dissipated his initial regard on her capabilities, and if he hadn’t witnessed and proved that encounter at the joint exercise, he would have concluded that she was an entirely different persona.

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Now I'm getting embarrassed. Third.