Resentment (Route A)

Chapter 1 – Arrival (continued)

His guest room was small, but had washroom facilities, complete with a vanishing vase to eliminate any dirty water or other waste he dropped into it. He read from his spellbooks while he waited, pouring over the more complicated spells he had yet to master. And that’s how Neiah found him when she returned to escort him to dinner.

During dinner Kaylen turned on the charm. He very quickly had the four women laughing with ease. Neiah feigned surprised when Aranni revealed he’d trained as a battle mage, asserting that she’d been certain he was an enchanter. Kaylen appreciated the compliment, but not the stern look Master Rylan gave him whenever he responded to Neiah’s flirting.

The other two apprentices were a bit less conversational. Marcel was close to Neiah’s age, but was quite reserved. She didn’t speak out unless Neiah or Aranni asked her a question, but let her long brown hair fall over her face between bites. Adalan, on the other hand, was quite boisterous. Laughing loudly as she swapped her gaze back and forth, taking in every bit of conversation though rarely joining in. She was younger than the other two apprentices, however, and was the only one of the three not wearing her apprentice robes. At a guess, Kaylen thought she was around fourteen or fifteen, certainly no older than sixteen. Not that he was the most experienced judge.

Afterwards, he made his way to a third story balcony and looked out over the nearest rooftops toward the setting sun. He’d always enjoyed the way sunlight played across the distant waves, and he’d rarely seen it from this far into the city proper. He reflected on the day’s events. Were things really so different now than they’d been that morning? He felt differently. But not much had actually happened. Did Aranni’s words affect him so?

He scowled, and turned from the light, re-entering the guild hall and descending the stairs toward his assigned guest room.

There was a startled squeak from the desk chair when he opened the door a little too forcefully, and banged it against the wall. He blinked at the face of Neiah from the chair. A quick glance confirmed that his pack was next to the trunk at the foot of the bed, and his cloak hung on a peg on the wall. He wasn’t in the wrong room.

“I’m sorry.” Neiah jumped to her feet after staying frozen for half a minute, “I’m intruding, you’re obviously not in a great mood.” She made for the door, but Kaylen didn’t stand aside.

“I should be apologizing. I am a guest here, and I shouldn’t take out my irritation on your doors.” He took a deep breath, hoping to calm his nerves. “Please stay seated. Tell me why you’re here.”

He finally stepped forward, giving the apprentice room to leave if she chose. A wave of his hand lit every candle in the room at once, causing Neiah to gasp.

“Aranni said you were powerful.” She muttered.

Kaylen chuckled, “That was simple. Doesn’t require much power, just practice and focus.”

Neiah nodded, as she moved to the doorway only to close the door and turn to face him.

He took a seat on the bed, leaving the desk chair for her as she considered what to say. “Did you need something?” He asked to break the silence.

“No. I mean… I wanted to…” Her cheeks were growing increasingly pink. After how confident she’d seemed earlier it was a little cute to see her so flustered now.

“I’m not going to bite.” He tried to reassure her. “I got lost in my own thoughts, but none of my irritation was directed at you.”

She smiled shyly. “I’m glad. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you since the moment I heard about you coming.”

“How long is that? I only made plans myself a few months ago. And only contacted Master Rylan about it a few weeks ago.”

“Really?” Her brow furrowed, “Master Rylan has spoken about you fondly as long as I have known her, and often remarked that at some point you’d be coming to the city once you’d finished your studies.” Her confidence was definitely returning.

“Maybe she predicted it before I knew for certain what my plans were. She’s always been very insightful about such things. Though I can’t imagine I live up to whatever expectations she set of me.”

“Why would you say that?” She blinked at him. “I’m not disappointed with what I see.” She stood, now looking down at him. “I, uh… like what I see.” She added, cheeks coloring once again.

Kaylen smiled, though inwardly he was torn. There was no mistaking her intention this time. After a moment, he stood as well, aware that it brought them that little bit closer, but also **** her once again to tilt her head up to him. “Is that so?” He asked, not sure if he was encouraging her or buying himself a moment to consider his own intentions. He did allow a little of his magic to seep out, enhancing his presence, to see if that would intimidate her as it so often did with the non-magic girls in his experience.

He was mindful of Aranni’s request. But also felt a little bitter. She had effectively barred him from romantic interactions. If she and her apprentices were off limits, who else was there? Why should he restrict himself, especially if a potential partner was so obviously willing?

When it was evident he wasn’t going to make the next move, Neiah took a nervous half step closer, as her eyes slowly dragged along his frame, before returning to meet his. She licked her lips, as if her previous actions weren’t apparent enough, and shivered.

So Kaylen took a step toward her. A single stride nearly bridged the remaining gap, and she made a soft sound of surprise. “If this is what you want…?”

Once more, he left the ball in her court, and she nodded, whetting her lips again then took the final trembling step. They weren’t quite touching, but he could feel her body heat and her nerves.

He raised one hand, and pushed her hood back, letting her blonde hair spill free. She raised her own hands, tentatively grazing his chest with her palms, before letting them come to rest on his shoulders. Her pink tongue flicked along her lips yet again, from nerves, or anticipation, it was hard to tell.

Kaylen allowed his hand to touch her hair, marveling at its texture. It was soft, and light, and crackled faintly with hints of static from her recently removed hood. Then he traced downward, turning his hand so his knuckles could caress her cheek. But unexpectedly, she grabbed his wrist.

He frowned.

“Sorry, I… sorry!” She let go.

He touched her cheek again. But his frown remained. There was something off about her behavior, something he couldn’t quite place.

She **** a smile, looking up into his eyes, trying to encourage him. “I want this.” She whispered unconvincingly.

Was this a test?

He couldn’t think of anything else that would explain her behavior… unless…

He closed his eyes, and cupped her cheek in his palm. He listened to her breathing, and felt her pulse as his hand lowered along her neck. She leaned into his caress, and the narrow gap between them disappeared. She lifted on her toes to try and kiss him, but he remained out of her reach.

When his eyes opened once more, his look made her pause, “I’m sorry. I’ve never…”

“Show me your face.” He instructed.

“A... excuse me?” She blinked at him, but her eyes shifted. He’d hit on it correctly.

“Your real face. Show it to me.” His tone was stern, but not forceful.

Her eyes shimmered with barely restrained tears, and he immediately felt like a cad.

“I apologize. I didn’t mean to suggest. Look, I won’t judge, but I need to see you. I promise I’ll…”

“What gave it away? I’ve been working so hard on my illusions.” She choked out, interrupting him.

He sighed, “Nothing specific. A lot of little things. The way the light hits your hair, the feel of your cheek, which doesn’t quite match the look…”

She sighed as well, and drew in a deep breath. She sniffed back her tears then nodded, gazing down at the floor before raising her eyes once more to his. “I uh… I’m older than I look…” She mumbled, even as the illusion magic she’d worn began to fade. Her bright blonde hair darkened to more of a burnt honey color, and her perfect complexion gave way to freckles. Her prominent cheekbones disappeared into rounded cheeks, and most surprisingly, her mostly hidden curves filled out just a few inches, everywhere but her bust, which practically flattened.

Kaylen conjured a mage light above one palm, holding the heatless blue flame above them to better illuminate her features, and suddenly, he had another disturbing realization. “Just how much older than you look?”

“I’m sixteen!” She answered quickly. Too quickly.

He set the mage light to hover so he could grip both her shoulders, and hold her away from him, looking her up and down. This wasn’t a test, at least not one set up by Aranni. “A targeted illusion?” He asked.

The waterworks were returning. She nodded.

“Aranni never saw it.” It was a statement, not a question. But again she nodded.

“She thinks I was flirting with you, knowing you were…” He groaned, and closed his eyes, feeling mildly ill.

“Sixteen is the age of consent.” She said, as much to convince herself as him. But he turned away.

“If you’d said seventeen, I might have believed you. If you’d said fifteen, I might not have cared.” He sighed. “You’re Master Rylan’s youngest apprentice, aren’t you?”

A few tears escaped, trailing down her rounded cheeks, but she also looked angry. She turned around, scrubbing at her face with one sleeve. “I’m thirteen.” She admitted. This time he believed her.

“I’m sorry.” He wasn’t mad at her. He was disappointed in how easily he’d gone along with it. “Hey, that’s enough of that.” He turned her back around and pulled her into a gentle embrace. This one was not romantic or flirtatious, merely comforting. He hoped.

“Shh. Please don’t. I understand. I do. But… I’m not right for you. You’ve got plenty of time ahead of you. Besides.” He turned her head up, trying not to wince at the damp spot where her face had pressed against his tunic. “Aranni would turn me into a lizard, and probably cook me for good measure.”

She made a face, and he chuckled. She seemed to be feeling at least a little better.

“You should head to bed.” He suggested.

“Can I stay another minute?” She asked, wrapping her arms around his waist to maintain the hug.

“I suppose.” He wasn’t exactly used to hugging girls. He hadn’t seen his sister in thirteen years, and there weren’t many women he was friendly with among his master’s students, outside of Aranni.

He stayed silent, letting her calm down in his arms. It didn’t take long for it to start to feel a little awkward for him, but he let her hang on.

A minute passed. Maybe two. Then, Neiah hiccupped.

The sound startled them both, and broke whatever remaining tension was left between them. After a brief silence, Kaylen chuckled. Neiah looked offended, but almost immediately giggled in response. Kaylen’s laughter grew gradually, and Neiah’s rose in volume to match, and soon they were laughing uncontrollably, sliding to the floor in each other’s arms, and wiping tears of mirth from their eyes.

Eventually, they regained what was left of their composure, and Kaylen helped Neiah to her feet. “Go on then. I’m sure we both need to get up early.” He nudged her toward the door with a soft hand on her shoulder. “Oh, and Neiah?” She turned with her hand on the door knob. “It was a good illusion. Just remember, you can only fool someone’s senses when they are using that sense. I only noticed a difference after I’d closed my eyes.”

She smiled. Her smile was quite pretty when she wasn’t trying so hard to be seductive. “But I think you look cuter without it.” He couldn’t resist, afterall, he might not get another opportunity to flirt in… maybe ever.

Besides, her embarrassed smile was worth it. She looked down, muttered, “Thanks.” And then left. Leaving him once more alone with his thoughts, quickly turning melancholy once more. A flick of his wrist locked the door now that Neiah was gone, ensuring he wouldn’t be interrupted in his thoughts.