Oath of the Survivor

Despite Kyle’s better judgment, he woke the next day and left his apartment to meet Tillienne at the restaurant she recommended.  It was fairly high-class, and he opted to leave C.H.A.D.D. at his apartment.  For one, he didn’t want to risk the drone saying something it shouldn’t, and he also wasn’t sure how much the fae woman could discern.  He spent the evening researching identification skills, and found that most in E Grade, and even D Grade, were more akin to his Auric Perception trait.  They typically would grant an impression of different energies and allow their users to more easily sense mana.

The problem was that there were exceptions to the rule.  Kyle’s own IDENTIFY was significantly more powerful than it should have been for somebody of his grade and level.  While he didn’t expect that Tillienne had something qualitatively equal, he fully expected her ability to be well outside the norms.  Either way, nothing good would come from allowing somebody like her to examine C.H.A.D.D. too closely.

After some consideration, he also decided to leave his weapons and armor at the apartment.  It wasn’t uncommon for awakened to wear their equipment in this district, however it could be considered rude when meeting an acquaintance.  Given the strict regulations and incredibly low crime courtesy of the Verdant Republic, Kyle was sure that he would be alright.  Even if he was attacked, he’d be able to survive long enough for appropriate peacekeeping forces to arrive.

Kyle walked through the crowded streets to the restaurant, which was near the heart of the shopping hub of his district.  People of all different species and ages were present, flowing into and out of the different stores like water.  Kyle couldn’t help but think about how normal it all was.  Despite struggles for survival on many planets, despite the threat of certain death in so many other worlds, life moved on at the Hub without a single care. 

He thought about the Central Authority, and the peace that people had enjoyed on Earth.  In some ways, this wasn’t dissimilar.  The crowd was made up primarily of unawakened, with a handful of E Grades and only a single other D Grade presence.  The difference was that this peace was backed by more absolute power.  The B Grades at the top of Collective management secured a peace that the Central Authority was unable to hold on to.

Before Kyle could reflect further on the idea, he felt the presence making its way through the crowd.  It was Tillienne, now wearing a beautiful floral gown instead of the colorful combat armor.  It was a seafoam green, going down as far as her knee, with an open back that allowed free motion for all four of her arms.  She smiled as she got closer, and he again focused on her eyes.  Different standards of modesty, Kyle.

“I half expected you weren’t going to show up!”  Tillienne said, a chipper tone in her voice. 

“Hey, it’s been a while since I had a nice meal.” Kyle said, defensively.  Tillienne laughed, and the two of them entered the restaurant.  Two sensations hit Kyle at once; the dimmed light and a mouth-watering aroma.  They were led to a table, and before Kyle knew it a plate of sizzling meats and vegetables were laid out before them in a dazzling array.

If it looked less than wonderful, Kyle might have pondered why he didn’t get a chance to order first, but the food was just too tempting.  The meat was springy at first, though as he chewed it melted in his mouth like butter.  The spices reminded him vaguely of the rich flavors of North African cuisine, though they also carried with them notes of sweetness that were entirely foreign.

It was about four bites in that Kyle realized he hadn’t spoken another word to Tillienne since they’d arrived, and a growing pit of horror grew in his stomach alongside the meat.  It dissipated as he saw her tearing into the meal with equal gusto, and he returned to his own plate, satisfied he hadn’t offended.  The two ate in the quiet for a while, with more plates of exotic dishes being brought to them as they tucked in. 

Only when herbal tea was brought to the table did they take a break, Tillienne watching Kyle with a twinkle in her eye.  “How did you like the meal?”

“It was amazing.  I can’t remember the last time I had food this good.”

Tillienne beamed.  “I’ll be sure to tell my sister, she never gets tired of hearing that customers love her food!”

“Wait, your sister made all this?”

“Yes!  She’s one of only a handful of D Grade Chefs in this area.  Most that make it to D Grade get snapped up by one faction or another.”

“Does that mean she owns the restaurant?”  Kyle felt a little foolish by asking the question, though at this point he was genuinely curious. 

Tillienne shook her head slowly.  “Unfortunately, she doesn’t, though the owners have treated her well.  It also means she can’t comp our meal.”

Only now did Kyle consider exactly how expensive a meal cooked by a bona fide D Grade might cost. Having not seen a menu, his mind immediately jumped to a scenario where he’d be bankrupted by the meal.  “How much did it cost?”

“That’s nothing for you to worry about.  I invited you out, and in exchange,” She paused, examining his face, “I’m going to ask for three honest answers to my questions.  How does that sound?”

Kyle nodded slowly.  “That seems fair, provided I can choose which questions to answer.  After your three, how about a trade?  Question for question?”

Kyle might as well have asked a cat if wanted to chase a mouse.  Her eyes lit up at the offer, and he couldn’t help but feel like he made a mistake.  “That sounds wonderful!  I’ll go first.  Your grasp of mana control is exceptional, at what school did you train your skills?”

“I’m mostly self-taught, and I trained on my planet.  I also trained at our government’s medical facilities, though overall that had less to do with my mana control.”

A thoughtful frown appeared on Tillienne’s face at his response, as though it was well outside the boundaries of what she expected.  “It must have been a challenge to go from being self-taught to progressing to where you are, much less to find an opportunity to get to the hub.  What factions did you align with to make that happen?”

Not seeing a reason to hide it, Kyle responded.  “I was sponsored by Corthian Mining, though only as far as getting my citizenship and putting roots down.  I earned the credits that I have honestly, and my connection to them has run its course.  I have no other affiliations as of now.”

She paused for a moment to drink her tea, an appraising look in her dark eyes.  Kyle matched it.  He knew that the sponsorship was likely public, as Corthian Mining didn’t want their reputation tarnished by not offering him sufficient luxury.  Furthermore, her response told him that she probably didn’t know.  That meant that either her information network wasn’t as deep as he’d thought it could be.  Or, more likely, he wasn’t significant enough to warrant the heightened degree of attention.

Tillienne seemed to settle on something, setting her jaw as the tea was lowered form her lips.  “I am a pretty good judge of power, and one of my skills gives me a good idea of how well I would stack up in a combat encounter.  The impression you give off is unique – incredibly so.  Other than Arhades, you’re the only other person in this pool of applicants that I would have almost no chance of beating.  Tell me – why is that?”

There’s the meat of the matter.  As he bought time by sipping his own tea, Kyle considered her problem.  While he didn’t know much about Tillienne yet, she clearly possessed a high degree of both personal and institutional power.  For somebody like her to run into a total unknown that was competitive with her level of power would not have been a common occurrence.  She’d likely been banking on Kyle being a hidden scion of an influential faction, and instead she was eating lunch with a bumpkin.  When viewed through that lens, her question made sense.  He thought about passing on it, but instead decided to answer directly.

“It’s because you’re a bad matchup for me.  You strike me as somebody who would be overwhelming to most people around your level, but I don’t think you have the tools you’d need to put somebody like me down before you ran out of energy.  It’s probably the same with the velgian.”

“You’re awfully confident in your abilities, Kyle.”

“You’re the one who asked the question.”

Tillienne paused to sip more tea, a twinkle in her eye joining the smile on her face.  “So I did.”   

Satisfied that he hadn’t offended, Kyle decided it was his turn.  “I’ve never met one of your people before, and I’m definitely not from around here.  Would you be willing to tell me about your species?”

She nodded.  “Of course.  We are the fae, and we are not commonplace outside of our home world.”

The two chatted for a while, and Kyle learned a lot about fae culture and heritage.  It turned out that all  fae children were born awakened, which brought with it a slew of blessings and curses.  Every aspect of their culture was designed to nurture a healthy path, with an incredible focus on fairness and equal exchanges. 

That was partially why, despite a couple of B Grades at the top of their social hierarchy, they didn’t have any major influence in the Collective.  Without the ability to backstab and deal in bad faith, it was difficult to navigate the intricate politics of the organization.  Coupled with a low population, it was enough to push them to the fringes of Collective society.

Tillienne, for her part, was a delightful conversationalist.  She told stories of her home world with enthusiasm, eyes widening as she discussed some of her favorites.  Kyle, for his part, listened.  He shared stories about Earth when prompted, and before he knew it nearly six hours had passed.

“I suppose we should probably go prepare for Phase Two.” Tillienne said, no sign of worry in her voice.  “This was lovely.  Thank you for joining me for a meal.”

“It was my pleasure.  And you’re certain you can cover the costs?”  Kyle asked, a hint of trepidation in his voice.

“Certainly.  Though next time we get together, I’d be very interested to see if your assessment of being a bad matchup for me is true.” 

In his mind’s eye, he pictured the grinning form of Skippy.  Too much to ask for another free lunch.