Chapter XV

Senior Refius

It was comforting to have him there. Refius had answers, and Zanda needed them.

"I'm glad you're here," she admitted.

"You can't live at peace with all those questions inside your head, am I right?" He mocked her, amused by her inner turmoil.

"At least you're you made it on time," Zanda retorted with sarcasm, not having it. "Let's talk, now."

"That's what I'm here for…" He turned to Naydir with false outrage. "Excuse my pupil's manners. I ought to have trained her better…" and extended his hands to her. "Refius Chieragato, you must be Naydir."

"The one and only. It is my honor to meet you, Your Seniorship." She bowed to her superior.

"There’s no need for formalities. Zanda has told me a great deal about you," Refius said, with his sight on the suspended merkabah above the table. "So, you're testing the suit. Good thinking, now…" He became serious. "Would you mind if I use your restroom? I need to dispose of some stuff."

"Really? You truly know how to show some manners," His apprentice rolled her eyes, embarrassed.

"Nature calls, Effenzi. Don’t make me bring out that time at Canyon Station…"

It became clear he had no idea of where to go, followed by his pink kabbalah.

"Go straight through the path, to the left side. Place your hand on the blue wall."

Naydir was having a blast with the situation.

"Much appreciated. I'll be back soon," Refius left after that, half-rushing.

"I’m sorry, he likes to act like a child…" Zanda expressed her embarrassment as he disappeared.

"Stop. He's great, relax. I like him," Naydir interrupted, moving to the center of the studio with the merkabah. "You’ve been training with him for five years?"

"On and off. They feel like ten sometimes," she thought about the handful of times Refius had put them in awkward situations due to his lack of filter.

Her friend ignored that comment and focused on the task at hand.

"He must be an incredible Gevurah with that sense of humor…" she remarked after a few seconds.

"That’s why most people like him! You are the perfect example: he talks to you about shit, and you’re on the fence! Imagine when he discusses quantum physics, people go crazy."

"You might have spent too much time with him, and you’re tired…"

"Of course, I’m tired," Zanda was outraged. "You’re unbelievable."

"My mentor is not as cool as yours, you know? I got a two-hundred and thirteen-year-old Tipharet that looks fifty but behaves as if he were four hundred and ninety. Between the two of us, you got the golden ticket."

Refius walked back into the studio and acknowledged the look from his apprentice.

"My apologies if I seemed rude, Naydir. Thank you for your hospitality."

"Not at all. I hope everything came out well."

"I knew it would be fast…" He said, almost to himself.

"Naydir is working on my merkabah. Don’t distract her; let's take a walk," Zanda could not stand it any longer.

"Are you upset about something? I’m intrigued," Refius inquired.

"Do you mind, Nay?"

"Not at all. I'll take care of this; give me forty-three minutes to check these nanites," her friend focused on the Armis' particles. “Got a couple of trillions left.”

Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

"Take as long as you need, there’s stuff we have to discuss." Zanda pulled Refius towards her.

The man with the light blue merkabah followed his apprentice to the studio entrance; their kabbalah emulated them across the peridot wall as they left Naydir's studio. Once outside, they both looked around.

"Where do you want to go?"

"I don't care as long as you answer my questions," she stated.

"There’s a nice coffee shop on the next level. Let’s go there," Refius suggested, immune to her abrasiveness.

"Did you know about Solandre and Aimiko before it happened?" Zanda was not willing to wait until they reached upstairs.

"Someone is impatient." They walked through an indoor garden that housed various flora and fauna from the region. "Yes, I knew about your Kabalatio; they contacted me half an hour before and requested my presence."

The path they were on took them to a red escalator, at least a hundred meters tall, where red crystal reflections shone on their bodies.

"Why are you here?" Zanda intended her question to be cryptic, aiming to coerce Refius into divulging information without placing her aunt in an awkward position.

"Aside from craving one of the best coffees in the region?" he quipped.

"Yes, aside from that," she couldn't hide the exasperation in her voice. "I know you're just playing dumb. I can see it."

"If you mean I have something to discuss with you, you'd be correct. I was planning to wait until we had resolved the whole matter with Solandre and Aimiko before bringing it up."

That, or Refius wanted to withhold the information until the end of their encounter, aware that Zanda would be overwhelmed once she learned of her mission. They exited the garnet stairway.

"What do you need to tell me?"

Knowing his pupil's impatience, Refius gave in and divulged the information.

"The Table of Nine has decided on your first mission. It's scheduled for today. I voted against it, knowing you wouldn't be pleased, but the superiors have been quite adamant, and a significant majority of the seniors concur with them," he attempted to gauge Zanda's reaction, but she remained silent, staring at the levitators transporting people across the massive Porterum.

"What is the assignment?" Her expression was unreadable.

"You are to travel to Sectum," Refius lowered his voice.

Zanda feigned shock at the information. "That's like being thrust into the major leagues of Silidan without playing a single game! Sectum is no simple task. Surely any other Gevurah would be more experienced for this mission," her fears had materialized.

"Did you pay any attention to what Solandre and Aimiko said at the Gevurium?" Refius was astonished by his apprentice's reaction.

She stayed quiet, a vortex of images swirling in the back of her mind.

"Come on. You need that lavender latte as much as I do."

"I paid attention. How does that relate with this?" Zanda followed.

"Everything! You’re a liar. You have no idea what I'm referring to. Are you sure you got enough sleep? Because you're falling behind," her mentor's response was unexpected yet justified, leaving her pupil feeling guilty about her lack of attention. It was a kind of influence only Refius had over her.

"This is rushed. You must see it. I'm not prepared for a place like Sectum! We just concluded Asporto two days ago, and now I have to head there? I've never heard of such a rapid transition..."

He disregarded her plea and continued walking; they were in a roofless area of Civitas Permacolae, separated from the nearby levels. A garnet-made park, covered with grass and thousands of Aspen trees, spread across the crystal platform, appearing endless. In the nearby hills covered by orange grass, children chased each other while some swam in a nearby lake.

Porters where spread out, floating around the structure, connecting people with the planet.

Most Malkuthians there were foreigners. The diversity of styles and cultures, clashing right before her eyes, showcased unique, colorful, and elaborate garments. Zanda felt out of place in her gray silkaphene leotard. Even Refius appeared distinguished in his aqua blue merkabah.

Her mind returned to the pressing subject as her duty in Dictaduria solidified. She let the reality sink in as they reached a coffee shop named 'Kāfēi,' nestled among other establishments at the park's edge.

They were the only patrons. Refius approached the dispatcher, a slender man with green metallic hair.

"Pepei, my friend! How have you been today?" The senior greeted him warmly.

"Your Seniorship! I'm doing fantastic! It's great to see you again, and your companion is…?"

"Zanda." She introduced herself, noticing his gaze.

"Welcome to Kāfēi! I have blends from fifty-seven countries, and we can prepare them in over a thousand different ways," Pepei was brimming with enthusiasm. "Do you desire anything special, or should I bring the usual?"

"Do you want some coffee for home?" Refius turned to her.

"Sure. Whatever you're having, I'll have the same."

He nodded and addressed the shop owner, who was pacing around the coffee containers. "I'm curious. Do you have anything from Colombia, Pepei?"

"Plenty. Would you like to try?"

"No need. I trust your judgement. We'll take two orders of your favorite blends and two lavender lattes to go with that, please," Refius said, having nudged Zanda into the habit of enjoying lavender lattes—a shared favorite since their first sessions together.

"You got it, sir. Four blends and two lattes coming right up," the man replied as he navigated around the containers piled high, each storing hundreds of kilos of coffee beans from across Malkuth. His kabbalah soared towards a coffee machine as large as the wall; four crystalline hands emerged from it and began to craft the lattes.

Pepei picked up a brown bag and positioned it under a container labeled 'Colombian Heaven', filling it before walking a few racks to the left. He then located 'Nicaraguan Zen', secured another bag, and filled that as well. He performed the action a third time with a container marked 'Historic Arabia' before carrying the bags back to the counter. "I'm adding a third one for you to try. That Nicaraguan Zen is beyond belief."

"That's very kind of you, my friend. Could you send the blends to my place?" A smile spread across her mentor's face. He had a deep love for coffee, and he expressed his gratitude when the metallic green-haired man presented him with the order and the extra coffee.

"Sure, we have your address on file, right?" Pepei double-checked by displaying a hologram with the information.

"Yes, that's the one. Thank you, my friend."

"Anytime. Thank you for keeping us safe. Aequitas to you both."

"Aequitas," they responded in unison as they left the shop, heading to their awaited conversation.

****

That's it for Chapter XV!

If you enjoyed it, please support A Tree of Omens.

Rate, review, follow or leave a comment, they all work.

As a reminder, Patreon is up and running with 15+ Chapters ahead of RR release.

Thank you for your time, see ya along the road!

Aequitas and much love,

Indigo Sapiens.

© All Rights Reserved