After dinner, Gregory and Yukiko were on their way to the stairs in the dormitory when one of the staff appeared in front of them. “Novice Warlin, Keeper Dia would like to see you.”
“Greg, will you take this to your room? I’ll be right there,” Yukiko asked, handing him the box.
“Sure. See you in a few.”
Making it to his room, Gregory set the box on the table, got his things put away, and set out his soiled clothing for the cleaning staff. He took a seat and looked closely at the box that Magus Marcia had given Yukiko. The box itself was crafted of some dark wood, with a hinge of burnished bronze. There was no lock on the box. The desire to open it was strong, but he resisted, as it was not his.
Yukiko entered the room a minute later, shutting the door behind her. She was holding another clutch of scrolls. “More clans to see next week, though many will give up after hearing what the Eternal Flame and Han Merchant Exchange have already offered me.”
“You didn’t seem interested in any of them,” Gregory said softly.
“No, none of them have offered sufficient inducement yet.”
“Afraid to see what you consider sufficient,” Gregory chuckled. “That necklace was worth more than many in my village will see in their lifetime.”
Yukiko looked down, “I… I didn’t mean…”
“It’s fine, Yuki. I don’t take offense. You’re worth more than that bauble. Whichever clan gets you is going to have an edge; that’s why they’re all trying to get you. There’s nothing wrong with being wanted or trying to get as much as you can for yourself.”
Yukiko’s cheeks were pink, “Let’s see what’s in the box, huh?”
Seeing her desire to change the subject, Gregory nodded. “Yeah, let’s see.”
Opening the box, Yukiko’s lips pursed as she pulled out a few pouches. Each had a small card attached to it that Yukiko read aloud, “Somnia leaves: to help your aether grow while sleeping, place a single leaf under your tongue when you go to bed. Ring of the mind: wearing this ring will aid the wearer in connecting to the mind path. Scroll of the shadow magi: this scroll instructs a shadow magi in how to pull shadows around yourself easier and more quickly.”
Gregory’s shock at each gift grew, and he was shaking his head when she finished pulling the items out. “They’re trying to prejudice you to the mind path and have given you a technique to help with your magic. How expensive are scrolls like that one?”
“Ones aimed at helping a novice perfect their first magic are expensive, but not overly so. The ring is worth more monetarily… and maybe we can both use it, trading off every day?”
Gregory was about to object, but he closed his mouth and shook his head. “If that is what you think is best.”
Yukiko gave him a soft smile, “Thank you for not fighting me.”
“What about the rest of this stuff?”
“We’ll split them.”
“Understood,” Gregory said as he accepted the leaves she gave him.
There was a knock on the door a moment later, and Gregory went to answer it. “Michelle?”
“I was looking for Yu— there she is.” She looked past him to Yukiko, “I’m having some of the girls over for tea in my room. I’d like it if you came.”
“I will be there after we finish studying. It’ll be about an hour from now, if that’s okay?”
“You two study much too hard before we have any clan to worry about. We’ll keep a spot open for you.”
“I’ll be there.”
“Great, see you later.”
Gregory sighed as he closed the door after Michelle. “I guess that means cards for me with Nick and the other guys. I don’t even know what that means.”
“I can show you the basics. We have an hour, and it is a type of learning for you,” Yukiko smiled. “Bring me a couple pieces of paper and some ink.”
~*~*~
An hour later, Gregory knocked on Nick’s door. Nick smiled when he opened the door. “Was wondering if you were going to show. Greg’s here, guys. We can start up the game.”
“I don’t have a lot of—”
“I got you covered,” Nick laughed. “Come on in.”
Gregory entered the room to find all the guys Nick hung out with already there. A couple of open bottles were on a side table, along with an assortment of snacks. Fureno moved over a little, making room for Gregory.
“We were about to start without you,” Jason smirked. “Figured you might be… up to things with Yukiko.”
Gregory frowned, “Yuki and I are just friends.”
“Just friends who shared a massage at Felina’s,” Fureno snickered.
“Guys, stop busting his balls,” Nick laughed, seeing Gregory starting to get upset. “They had one of the split rooms.”
“Really?” one of the others asked. “The way you two are always together, I was sure you’d made a move on her.”
“She’s betrothed,” Gregory said stiffly as he took a seat. “We’re just friends and helping each other train.”
“I’d like to help her train,” Fureno snickered. “Physically train,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows for emphasis.
“Damn man, you got it that bad?” Jason asked, seeing Gregory’s brow furrow as he glared at Fureno. “I mean, she’s got the exotic look: pale skin and hair and bright eyes, but come on. It’s only us guys here. No need to get pissy. Surely you and your friends back home used to compare the women.”
Gregory sighed, “Sorry. It’s true that Gunnar and I used to compare the twins.”
“Twins?” Nick asked, his eyebrows rising as he grabbed a deck of cards. “Twins are fun if you get them together. How were they, the twins?”
“Beautiful,” Gregory said, without pausing. “Ria and El are the best-looking women in the village. Gunnar and El were courting when I left.”
“What about the other one? Ria? You ever get close to her?”
Gregory looked down, “That isn’t—”
“I’d say yes,” Fureno snickered. “Look at that blush.”
“Okay, come on, we’re playing cards,” Nick chuckled. “Jason, hand out the vela. You can back out at any point and keep the vela, but I’d prefer you try to win as much as you can.”
“Never played cards,” Gregory said. “I could use a little help.”
Nick grinned, “Friends help each other out, don’t they? Jason, give him the notes I had you make.”
Gregory studied the sheet of paper that Jason handed him. It listed the best winning hands for the game, and the rules of how to play the game Trade and Barter. The players were dealt three cards, starting with the oldest player. He could trade a vela to the pot for a new card, discarding one of his old ones as he did, or he could barter, trading a card with the player of his choice— without payment— who had not knocked on the table yet. Play continued until two players knocked on the table, at which point, cards were revealed and the one with the best hand took the pot.
“We normally play this at higher stakes, but because you were joining us, Nick made it lower so you’d feel better about it,” Fureno said, looking at the stack of twenty-vela coins as if they were trash.
Gregory looked at his stack of two hundred twenty-vela coins and shook his head. “What stakes do you normally play with?”
“Hundred vela coins,” Jason admitted. “We come from different backgrounds, though,” he added with a shrug. “No one can control where they are born or to whom.”
“Right, sorry,” Fureno said with a pained grimace. “Didn’t mean it the way it came out.”
“We ready?” Nick smiled, trying to push past the awkwardness. “Ante your coin.”
Hours passed as they played, coins flowing back and forth across the table. Gregory did poorly to start with; his hands at the end always ended up just a little worse than the others. As the second hour passed, he started to gain ground. Luck was part of it, but he started to understand what each player valued and was likely to trade away.
Banter at the table stayed away from the subject of women for a while, instead centering mostly around the teachers and classes, with a few conversations cropping up about family. The only drinks in the room were alcohol, and Gregory sipped at his single glass sparingly while the others imbibed with less reserve.
As the second hour was coming to a close, Fureno brought the topic of women up again. “Remember the crazy proctor?” He snickered, “I mean sure, she was crazy and had a lot of scars, but damned if she didn’t look good when she stripped down. I can imagine having her working for me.”
“I like my women softer,” Jason said. “Michelle is a good example. If Nick wasn’t bent on trying to get with her, I’d be making my own play.”
“Feel free,” Nick chuckled. “I’m not serious. She’ll be a hard one to pin down, though. She is semi-serious about staying chaste for her betrothed. I think she’ll break by third year. From what I’ve heard, her betrothed has been seen visiting a few places he should know better than to be seen at. Once that comes to her attention…” Shrugging, he laughed, “Well, she’ll be easy for at least one night. You or me, doesn’t matter. Have to let my friends have their own fun, you know?”
“If that’s the case, I’ll just start laying the groundwork. I already have Melody interested, but she won’t be hard to convince. Her family could use anything I let fall to them, and she knows that. At least she’ll be smart enough to stay as a mistress and not make a scene. I like the game of conquering tough women, and Michelle will be that.”
“The chase is the best part,” Nick agreed as he knocked on the table. “I mean, collecting at the end is fun— a lot of fun— but the chase is just more exhilarating.”
“You should go for Yukiko, then,” Fureno snickered. “That would be the hard chase.”
Nick’s lips thinned, “You know how I feel about… I mean, Gregory has his sights set on her. Don’t you, Greg? It’s okay to admit among us.” Nick’s tone shifted hard in the middle of his sentence.
“She’s betrothed.”
“Yeah, but if she crept into your room tonight, would you tell her no?” Jason pressed.
Gregory looked away, “I… wouldn’t. I’m not trying to win her affection, though. We’re friends and training partners only.”
“What if she didn’t have a betrothed?” Nick asked. “You’d be considering it, wouldn’t you?”
“If horses had wings, we’d all be able to fly,” Gregory shrugged.
“You wouldn’t know this, but past agreements get annulled when one joins the Eternal Flame,” Nick commented. “If Yukiko were to join the clan, her betrothal would be broken.”
If she isn’t betrothed, maybe we could… His thoughts were derailed when Jason knocked on the table, indicating the end of the hand.
Gregory handed his cards to Fureno, knowing he had not won. The chime of the twentieth bell made him blink at how late it was. “I need to get going. The day comes early.”
“Of course,” Nick said. “Take your coin with you.”
Gregory moved to put it into his bag before he realized he was not wearing it. “It was your coin to begin with,” he said as he got to his feet. “Thank you for inviting me. I’ll see you later.”
“At class, if not before,” Nick said. “Good evening, Greg.”
“Night,” Gregory told the room.
Yukiko’s room was dark when he went past it. Maybe she’s still having tea? I hope she doesn’t stay out too late. If what Nick said is true, it’d be possible that maybe I could… Putting the brakes on his thoughts, Gregory rubbed at his face.
“It’s not going to happen. She is a friend, and that is all,” Gregory mumbled to himself as he got ready for bed.
Retrieving one of the leaves from his closet, Gregory thought about it and Yukiko. Shaking his head again, he stuck it under his tongue and went to bed. Dreams are nice, but some of them will only ever be dreams, he thought, darkness creeping up over him to pull him into slumber.
