"Assumed Dead - 05, Kwigrennis Helioliop" by Melia Arney

The man was infuriating. It wasn’t bad enough he left and didn’t take her with him, not that Jaerri had any interest in returning to Ekarku or watching another Choosing ceremony for the rest of her natural life, but why did he have to leave her with that she-devil of a woman?! Savant Uraela was all smiles and kindness and at times could have almost been fun except for the fact that Jaerri hated her. She’d spent most of the time since Savant Haff had left hiding from Mrs. I’ll-Take-Her-if-No-One-Else-Will. Currently Jaerri was holed up in a ventilation duct looking into the docking bay of the Dahess Enclave. Haff was supposed to be back an hour ago. Curse him for being late. He’d promised a surprise if she finished all that stupid homework he’d left behind. Boring stuff like histories of wars and political movements. It was all from like a thousand years ago too. Jaerri couldn’t understand why, if they insisted she study things like politics, they couldn’t pay at least a little attention to what was actually going on currently.

Jaerri shifted in the vent shaft to a more comfortable position. Her Nesaddi Lance had been digging into her side. Most ways she sat in the tight place had it digging into her side, but she wasn’t about to take it off. Jaerri even slept with the weapon. It’d been a year since she’d become an Acolyte and sometimes she still couldn’t believe it. What was even more surprising was that she liked it. Minus the politics lessons of course. But she was finally learning a weapon, one she had a lot of natural talent with, and from the best teacher in the Order. Plus, she was learning attack and defense spells with the Arts. Nothing like what she’d be learning if she’d stayed in Diomair Edria, mostly just basic stuff. The Dejine said they were preparing for the possibility the Rehen might return. Jaerri thought that if they did return the Dejine would get their rear ends handed to them in a less than pleasant way if these were the best attacks they knew. Still, it was something.

What she liked most perhaps was Savant Haff. He was really smart and nice and found ways of making the boring lessons interesting. He didn’t let her get away with too much, but that only made trying to find ways of getting away with it anyway more challenging. Getting away without lying about it was the hardest part. She and Haff had made a deal the first time she’d gotten into semi-big trouble that if she never lied to him, he’d always believe her. So far she’d kept her end, even when it meant she got landed for something she otherwise might have been able to story her way out of. In return he’d gotten her off the hook when a couple of the other Acolytes had tried to pin something on her she hadn’t done.

Jaerri shifted again, grumbling. If Haff wanted the truth, he was going to get the unedited, unadulterated truth about how she felt being left with Uraela just as soon as he got back. Assuming he got back sometime this century.

According to the wall chrono in the docking bay, he was now one hour and fifteen minutes late. For someone who prided himself on being punctual, that was really bad. Jaerri could just seem Haff stalking about the ship. He’d never complain out loud, but she knew how it’d grate on his nerves knowing he was behind schedule.

Finally, the docking bay doors opened and a ship landed. Jaerri back scooted down the shaft so she could come out a vent opening in an empty room. Haff didn’t fancy her climbing around in the ductwork. Once out she ran back to the docking bay to enter the more normal way, through a door.

"There you are," Savant Haff called when Jaerri came trotting in.

"Finally back, huh? I was beginning to think you’d decided to stay."

"Yes, well we ran into some problems leaving Ekarku."

"Dare I ask what?"

"One of the Savants who was originally thought to be heading to the Enclave on Kilesh was suddenly found to be assigned here instead. Computer error or something, but it took a while to transfer all his and his Acolyte’s belongings over to this ship."

"Anyway, I promised you a surprise, didn’t I?"

"You did, and I’ve got my heart set on a new set of throwing knives so don’t disappoint me."

Haff rolled his eyes. Jaerri had been trying to convince him to buy her some knives for months now. He did not understand her fascination with them. He didn’t understand even more what she thought she’d do with them. There wasn’t much call for daggers in the Enclave.

"You’re going to have to live with your disappointment. I want you to meet someone. This is Kwigrennis Heilioliop," he said, motioning to a boy behind him a year younger than Jaerri.

Jaerri stared at the boy, then at Haff, then back at the boy again. He was at least half a foot shorter than her with pale cream skin, red eyes, sandy brown hair, and little red freckles all over his cheeks and nose. "He’s got horns."

"I’m a Delen," the boy said. "We all have horns."

"Yeah, whatever. So what’s my surprise?"

Haff didn’t even answer, just gave her the look that meant she was being stupid on purpose and he wasn’t going to put up with it. Jaerri gave him the fake innocent look. Inside she was seething. She knew most Savants took two Acolytes, but Haff hadn’t even intended to take her at first so why did he all of a sudden want a new one? She’d done everything he’d asked her too. What else did he want? Okay, so she’d gotten in trouble a lot for skipping classes and crawling through the vents and occasionally climbing over the wall to visit the city outside the Enclave, but he’d never seemed that upset about it.

"Kwigrennis will have the empty room next to yours. Why don’t you show him where it is and help him get settled in.

"Because he’s a horned freak and I don’t want to."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Later that night Jaerri was sitting in her room listening to her stomach growl. She’d been grounded without supper. Savant Haff had also forbidden her from using her computer. He’d left her with her Nesaddi, but threatened her with no breakfast if she slashed up another mattress. She’d settled with slashing a pillow and hiding the evidence in the back corner of the closet.

"Ready to talk without yelling Kaesynalic obscenities at me?" Haff asked, entering the room. He leaned back against the closed door, waiting, eyes scanning the room. He noticed the lack of a pillow. At least that meant she wouldn’t throw it at him like she’d done an hour ago when he’d tried to talk to her. Of course the pillow had been softer than the books, comp pad, stylus, lamp…

After a few moments of silence, Haff tried again. "I know what you’re thinking, Jaerri. I’m sorry I sprung this on you so fast. I hadn’t even been entirely sure I’d take another Acolyte when I left. Still, I didn’t expect you to get quite this upset about it."

"Why shouldn’t I be upset?! You’re replacing me with a noki!"

"How do you manage to have so much personal pride and such low self esteem at the same time? One, I’m not replacing you. Two, despite not knowing what that word means, I’ve got a very good feeling it’s not flattering so you’ll refrain from using it again in the future. Did it ever occur to you that maybe I was thinking of you when I decided to take on another student? There’s a reason Savant’s usually have two and it’s certainly not that two of you are easier to handle. Tell me something, what have you been up to while I was gone?"

"I didn’t blow anything up if that’s what you’re asking. I didn’t even climb the wall this time. I just sat around doing my homework like a good girl."

"All by yourself?"

"Yes, all by myself. Your point?"

"That is the point. You do everything alone, Jaerri. You don’t have any friends. And don’t deny it. I’ve got eyes; I can see it. Yes, Kwigrennis’s a talented Caster and will make an excellent Acolyte, but he’s also here so that you have someone to talk to. He’s not a top of his class, brown nosing, do-gooder either so you should be able to get along fairly well. You might find you have a lot of things in common."

"Such as?"

"You both have red eyes."

"Wow, I feel us bonding already."

"Just give him a chance, Jaerri."

"I’ll consider it."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Jaerri! Hey, Jaerri! Wait up!"

Jaerri groaned and walked faster. She’d been trying to avoid Kwigrennis for a solid week, but he kept finding and following her. She’d done everything short of punching him to get him to realize she didn’t want him around. He ignored hints to go away, though, and he didn’t even respond when she called him names. He was either completely stupid or extremely persistent. Or maybe just pathetic.

Pathetic seemed a good description. She’d never seen anyone so hopeless with a Nesaddi. He never gave up with it, though. He’d repeat the same strike block pattern for hours if that’s what it took to get it right. She’d watched him do it. Not where he could see her watching, though, of course. He did good enough in the book classes, but Haff hadn’t been lying, he was no wonder student. Jaerri wondered if he stayed up late at night studying like he stayed late after Nesaddi class to get in extra practice.

"Go away, goat head."

"Did you understand that lecture in Asurian Culture? I was completely lost after the bit about rocks."

"Who cares. The Asura died off two centuries ago. Why do I need to understand their culture if I’m never going to meet one?"

"I guess you’ve got a point. So where are you going? Want to get some lunch?"

Jaerri stopped and turned to him. "Look, I’ve been polite and impolite, neither have worked. Are you dense or something? Get it through your head; I don’t like you."

"Yeah, I know. Look, just let me walk with you as far as the cafeteria and I swear I’ll never bother you again."

This was a new development. Looked like he was finally ready to accept reality. What bothered Jaerri was that he was practically begging to walk down a hallway with her when he had just admitted he knew she hated him. There was something going on; that was obvious from the way he kept nervously glancing back down the hall.

Jaerri looked back too. A few Acolytes wandered here and there, most heading towards lunch. She didn’t see anything unusual, certainly nothing that should have him upset.

"Why?"

"Uh, no real reason. Just don’t feel like walking all that way by myself."

"Then no deal. I’m not even going to the cafeteria. See you, goat head."

Jaerri walked off and Kwigrennis didn’t follow. She hadn’t made it more than halfway to the courtyard, though, before she noticed Acolytes rushing back the way she’d come. Eavesdropping filled in the reason.

She almost laughed. The kid hadn’t even been there a full week, and he’d already gotten into a fight. If she hadn’t known he wasn’t the kind of guy to start it, she’d have almost thought there was hope for him. Still, even if he was a pathetic goat head that couldn’t defend himself from a couple of bullies, she wasn’t about to let someone beat him up. They shared a Savant so she had a little responsibility for him.

Jaerri arrived at the fight just in time to see Kwigrennis deck a boy a head taller than him. Then turn around and kick another one. Maybe there really was hope after all. She was considering if he really did need her help when someone behind her pushed her into the fight. Jaerri got a quick glimpse of a boy with black hair and deep blue eyes before she found herself in the middle of a brawl. She’d bumped into one of the boys before she’d regained her balance from being pushed. That was all the incentive he needed to start in on her too, and bring his friends along.

By the time a Savant arrived to put an end to the festivities, Jaerri and Kwigrennis had made short work of their attackers. Kwigrennis didn’t know much about fighting, but he’d been determined to give his fair share of bruises.

As the whole group was paraded to Haff for sentencing, Kwigrennis leaned over and whispered thanks.

Jaerri shrugged. "Truth be told I wasn’t sure I was going to join in, but someone decided for me. I’ll thank him for it someday. Was a creepy looking kid, though., what little I saw of him. You know I still think you’re a weird goat head."

"Oh." Kwigrennis began drifting further ahead. Jaerri reached out, caught his wrist, and pulled him back beside her.

"I can live with a weird goat head. Can you live with a jerk?"

"I’ll do my best."

"We’ve got to do something about the name, though. I can’t even pronounce it. My tongue’s going to fall out if I have to say it all the time."

"You can call me Kwiggy."