They walked leisurely to the mess hall with Yukiko’s parents. Hao commented on the streams, and especially the decorative fish in them, wondering if he could have a similar garden set up at their home. Yukiko informed him the fish needed a high aether content to survive, dashing his dream.
The line outside of the mess hall trailed down the path and across one of the bridges. “Goodness, do you normally have such a line?” Yoo-jin asked them.
“No. If you look, most of those in line aren’t magi,” Yukiko explained.
“Not enough of the kimonos denoting tier,” Hao nodded. “I notice those of adept tier and above are on the second floor.”
“You have to be at least adept tier or be invited by one of that status or higher to eat there,” Gregory replied.
“Do you indeed?” Hao mused as he looked at the people eating on the balcony. “I’ll make sure we don’t have this problem tomorrow. I’m meeting with Magus Marcia Han at the fourteenth bell.”
“You’ll miss Greg’s last bout,” Yukiko said.
“I arranged the meeting before the tournament,” Hao replied. “I can’t change it now, Yu.”
“I will be there to see it,” Yoo-jin said patiently. “After that, you will be taking me to see where you sleep.”
“Of course, Mother,” Yukiko replied.
“And at nineteenth bell, we’ll be taking you both back to Stabled Hunger for dinner again,” Hao added. “You both said how good the food was.”
“Their food is better than the novice food here,” Yukiko said. “I was surprised that it was the owner’s wife that cooks.”
“A couple who can work together makes for a happy life,” Yoo-jin smiled fondly at Hao.
“Indeed,” Hao agreed.
“I’m surprised they don’t get more business,” Gregory commented. “The place was well run and had great food.”
“Some people have unreasonable prejudices,” Hao grumbled.
“Father always made sure to choose places that wouldn’t cause problems if my… ancestry… came to light,” Yukiko said softly.
“I still feel the pain of the first time you had to deal with that,” Hao sighed sadly.
“That’s in the past,” Yukiko told him. “My betrothed knows my true worth, and that is all that matters. Comments can’t cause the same hurt now, because my heart has been found.”
Yoo-jin laughed softly, “Easy, Yu, easy. Your situation isn’t known yet, not until the tournament ends. Oh, and the guards at the gate let us know that your curfew is suspended for this week, so we can return you after dark. There is no need to rush our time together, as it will be six months before we can visit again.”
“We’ll be here then, too,” Hao agreed. “I’ve found the past few months difficult. My precious Yu wasn’t beside me, helping raise my spirits every day. I was glad to see your letter when I arrived home.”
“Is cousin Liang handling trade while you’re here?” Yukiko asked.
“Yes,” Hao chuckled. “You should have seen him when I presented the opportunity.”
Yukiko laughed as she imagined it, “I can see it. He’s always been hopeful that you’d give him a bigger role.”
“Depending on how he does, I might give him part of the route,” Hao said. “Been thinking I might want to spend more time at home.”
Yoo-jin smiled at her husband, “Going to finally do as I’ve asked for the last six years?”
“Slowly, but yes, I’ll start handing over the travel,” Hao said, “if Liang can handle it. It’ll be a couple of years, even if he is adept at it.”
“A couple more years is soon enough,” Yoo-jin smiled brightly. “We might have a grandchild by then.”
Yukiko flushed red, “Mother?!”
“A mother can have dreams for her children,” Yoo-jin giggled. “Calm yourself, dear child. After you finish learning, you’re still under obligation to the empire via your clan for at least ten years.”
Yukiko exhaled shakily, “Yes, of course.”
Yukiko was saved from further discussion by the movement of the line. They had finally entered the mess hall building and were moving forward at a slow, but steady, pace.
“Not much to this place, is there?” Hao said disappointedly.
“Very austere, but that makes sense,” Yoo-jin said. “Those training here might end up fighting in a war if the empire has another one.”
Gregory and Yukiko exchanged a glance but did not comment on her mother’s musing. Lin stayed quiet as well, but he felt comfortable in the mess hall; it reminded him of his time in the army.
When they got to eurtiks who were serving the food, the staff gave Yukiko and Gregory friendly smiles. “Novices, this will be your second meal of the day,” Ravol told them.
“We’ll be having dinner outside the academy today,” Yukiko told him. “My parents wished to sample the food here.”
“It looks like many parents do,” Hao chuckled.
“We have food for non-magi,” Ravol replied as he began to plate three meals for Hao, Yoo-jin, and Lin. “We apologize for the lack of diversity.”
“I’m sure it will be fine as much as my daughter praises the food,” Yoo-jin smiled.
“The same is true for you,” Ravol told Gregory and Yukiko. “Since we have to create food for the non-magi, it reduced the options.”
“It’s fine,” Gregory said. “Just serve us up.”
“How were your fights?” Steva asked as they went down the line.
“Two and one,” Yukiko sighed. “A true brute beat me in the first round.”
“Heeey,” Gregory frowned, which earned a giggle from Yukiko.
“You two had to fight?” Velma asked, looking concerned.
“Yeah. She almost had me, but I got lucky,” Gregory said. “I’m two and oh. My last fight for today is in about two hours.”
“A good start, then,” Velma added. “People will start separating themselves from the rest tomorrow.”
“We’ll be doing our best,” Yukiko said. “It was nerve-wracking to be the first fight in the central arena, though.”
“Oh my,” Velma said as she handed over their trays and touched their medallions, “that must have been terrifying.”
“It was,” Yukiko smiled. “Have a good day.”
“Conversing with the animals as if they were worth speaking to?” someone a few places back in line scoffed openly.
Yukiko’s back stiffened, and Gregory slowed as they had started toward the beverages. “Bigots, small-minded idiots,” Gregory said loud enough to be heard by the person who had spoken as he stayed next to Yukiko.
“What was that, Novice?” the speaker boomed, getting the attention of everyone nearby.
Gregory looked back to see an apprentice glaring at him. Before he could reply, a magus appeared between them. “Apprentice, Novice, this is not the place for arguments. If you have a disagreement, take it to an arena after the matches for the day end.”
“Sorry, Magus,” Gregory said, bowing slightly, tray in hand. “I have no problem with the apprentice.”
“I have a problem with you,” the apprentice snapped. “I challenge you, Novice.”
“Greg, not during the tournament,” Yukiko cautioned him.
“No, I’m not going to stand for this. It bothers me as much as it bothers you, Yuki,” Gregory replied. Looking back at the magus, Gregory spoke up, “Sir, would you be willing to adjudicate the challenge? I will accept if you do. The tournament bouts will be suspended in an hour for lunch. I would be willing to face him then; no aether and a single training weapon each.”
The larger apprentice laughed, “Accepted.”
“Foolish, but fine,” the magus sighed. “Central arena in an hour.”
Gregory bowed again before turning back to get some tea. Yukiko was frowning at him, but did not say anything as they followed her parents to a table.
“Was that wise?” Hao asked when they found seats.
“No,” Yukiko replied grumpily.
“Probably not, but he upset Yuki,” Gregory replied. “I’ll get a naginata and end it quickly.”
“Ill advised,” Lin cut in. “You’d be better off fighting worse than you can. Hiding your talent until absolutely needed is better.”
“That would make it even more dangerous,” Yukiko argued.
“Yu, you must have faith in the one you love,” Yoo-jin gently chided her.
Yukiko frowned, “I just don’t want him to get injured because of some boor when we both need to be at our best.”
“I promise, I won’t get injured,” Gregory said.
Yukiko sighed, “I feel as if it’s my fault.”
“No. That comment would have bothered me even if I hadn’t met you. He’s the same one who tried to trip me months ago, remember? He’s obviously been waiting for a moment. As long as we don’t challenge others, we control the variables, and if that’s the case, we can win every time. Bishop taught us that.”
Yukiko’s lips twitched, “You’re so confident in us.”
“Of course,” Gregory replied. “I know you’re worth more than every other novice combined, including me.”
“Just like you two,” Lin snorted, his gaze going to Hao and Yoo-jin.
“Indeed,” Hao nodded. “Yu is just like her mother, after all.”
“I believe she found a man similar to her father, too,” Yoo-jin replied serenely.
Yukiko shook her head, not rising to their bait. Instead, she focused on her meal and tried to ignore her worry for Gregory. Gregory watched Yukiko as he ate his own food, wondering if he had made a mistake.
~*~*~
The hour went by quickly. Yukiko’s parents enjoyed the meal, praising the cooks. Now they were in the stands of the arena, along with a few hundred others who had heard of the challenge and turned up for it.
Gregory picked up a wooden naginata from the waiting area under the arena, stepping onto the sands a few moments before the magus. The apprentice, Jenga, was already there, with a wooden odachi resting on his shoulder. The magus arrived exactly on time to adjudicate the challenge.
“Novice, Apprentice, this challenge is set for no aether and a single practice weapon each. What is at stake here for the challenge?”
“An apology,” the apprentice sneered at Gregory. “I want him to bow before me and publicly declare that eurtik are nothing more than animals, and that he was wrong to question me.”
“I would have him do the same, but to the cooks in the mess hall, apologizing for not seeing them as the people they are.”
“Are you sure this dispute cannot be resolved peacefully?” the magus asked. When neither spoke, he nodded, “Very well. To the middle of the arena.”
Standing a dozen feet apart, the magus had them bow to him and each other before he stepped back. “Fight.”
Gregory did not move more than a foot as Jenga came forward, intent on ending it quickly. As the odachi came down in a brutal overhand strike, Gregory brought the naginata up in a beautiful parry, following it with thrusting the endcap into Jenga’s gut. The apprentice wheezed, stepping back surprised and winded, feebly trying to deflect Gregory’s follow ups. He was successful the first time, but in doing so, had pushed his own weapon out to the side. Gregory shook his head as he drew back on the haft of his weapon, then shot it forward. Jenga clutched his neck, the odachi falling from nerveless fingers as he tried to breathe.
“Stop!” the magus shouted. “Healer!”
The healer, who had been standing by, was already rushing toward them. Gregory stepped back, giving her room, and bowed to the prone apprentice and the magus.
“Are we done, Magus?” Gregory asked.
“Yes, this challenge is over,” the magus replied, helping steady the apprentice while the healer forced a potion into the apprentice’s mouth to heal his crushed larynx.
“Thank you, sir,” Gregory said as he moved to the exit.
The magus watched Gregory go, “Who the hell is he?”
When he returned to Yukiko and her parents, Gregory lowered his head, “Sorry for having to do that.”
“No worries, I made a tidy sum,” Hao laughed. “So many who came were sure that you were going to lose.”
“Father,” Yukiko sighed, “I still can’t believe you did that.”
“Why? They were being disrespectful to your… partner,” Hao replied, recalling just in time that announcements had not yet been made.
“Your skill might be doubted, but if you do that again, everyone will know,” Lin said simply.
“We will need to be extra careful in the future,” Yukiko said. “I have a feeling we’ll have more challenges after the tournament ends.”
